Images & Video: Pixeleye Interactive / Dirk Behlau

Vintage cars are gathering in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico for the October 22nd start of the Carrera Panamericana. The seven day event is a continuation of the original La Carrera Panamericana, which ran from 1950 to 1954. The starting point, Tuxtla Gutierrez, is 520 miles southeast of Mexico City, almost to the border with Guatemala. Over seven days, the 100 competitors will cover about 2000 miles through the heart of Mexico, ending their journey in Zacatecas, near Juarez – across the border from El Paso.

Top officers from the Mexican Highway Patrol clear the highways for timed speed runs by the participants and upwards of a million spectators cheer the racers along. The event was resurrected in 1988 and shows no sign of waning, drawing competitors from around the world.

Back for a second year and among the longest traveling participants, is Sakke Järvenpää, founding member of the highly entertaining group, The Leningrad Cowboys. If you’ve not run across them before, The Leningrad Cowboys is a Finnish rock band famous for its humorous songs, exceptional hairstyles and concerts featuring a Russian military band.

This year’s entry is a restored 1965 Mustang fastback, entered in the Historic class, which is reserved for cars built from 1955 through 1965. Additional classes are established for cars that could have participated in the original event, built between 1940 and 1954.

A second entry is running under the Leningrad Cowboys Racing banner. Harri Rovanperä is entering a 1954 Studebaker. The choice is not one that should be chuckled at. Swedes Stig Blomqvist (World Rally Champion 1984) and Ana Goni took 1st Place overall in last year’s race with one of these cars.

The video below was taken last year, from the 1958 Corvette that Järvenpää entered. This is the first speed stage on the first day of that event.