The [Porsche Panamericana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_Panamericana) was a concept created in 1989 and shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Built as a gift for Ferry Porsche, son of Ferdinand Porsche Sr., it featured styling cues eventually revealed on the 993 generation 911 in 1994. 

\- The plastic and carbon fiber bodywork is built on top of a 964 Carrera 4 Cabriolet chassis. The wide wheel covers with large cutaways expose a massive area of tire and allow for larger tires and rims to be fitted for off-road purposes. 

\- The exposed rear tires reveal potentially the most interesting feature…Porsche crests in the treads! These tires were custom made by Goodyear specifically for the Panamericana and include large, unmistakable hand carved Porsche logos. 

\- The eye-catching wheels are custom made Speedline rims also specifically produced for the Panamericana. Which is probably a good thing. 

\- The rear window is removable, as well as the fabric top via a pink zipper. This allowed for various configurations including convertible, targa, and coupe. 

\- The Panamericana name was inspired by the [Carrera Panamericana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrera_Panamericana), a 2,000+ mile, 5-day race on open roads across Mexico beginning in 1950. Originally only lasting 5 years, it was considered one of the most dangerous events in motorsport as 27 fatalities occurred over this time. Drivers from across the sport were represented including drivers from Formula One, hill climb racing, endurance racing, drag racing, stock car racing, and more. Even Bill France Sr., founder of NASCAR, attended the first race and many after. Porsche was well represented as a manufacturer in the event, winning multiple classes between 1950-1954, with multiple private entries continuing once the race was revived in 1988. Porsche would pay homage to the Carrera Panamericana by using the Carrera name on many of their road cars and with the Panamera sedan that debuted in 2009. For those interested in Cannonball runs or just interesting automotive stories in general, I highly recommend reading more about the Carrera Panamericana, it’s really fascinating in many aspects. 

I made this because I recently learned more about the Panamericana from the most recent [This Car Pod!](https://youtu.be/7GbvhNgb2ew?si=EVDyL-89I6oXpOJ7) episode where Doug randomly brings it up. I found the Top Drives picture doesn’t really show any of what I consider to be the most interesting quirks, so I thought some of you might be interested in learning more about it as well! If this is popular I would consider doing this for other Top Drives vehicles too. 

Additional sources:

[https://www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/concepts-time-forgot-porsche-panamericana](https://www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/concepts-time-forgot-porsche-panamericana)

[https://www.stuttcars.com/porsche-panamericana/](https://www.stuttcars.com/porsche-panamericana/)

Top Drives Deep Dive: Porsche Panamericana