A superb and rare photo taken during the 1951 edition of the Carrera PanAmericana road race which was ridden in Mexico.  Shown in this gorgeous image is that year's winner Luigi Chinetti, pushing his winning and absolutely magnificent Ferrari 212 Inter racing car to the start of yet another stage during the gruesomely heavy rally!

Together with his teammate Piero Taruffi, Chinetti WON the 1951 Carrera Panamericana, which was  regarded as the most heavy and most prestigious long distance rally in the world! Interestingly, Ferrari factory riders Ascari (Formula One F1 World Champion in 1952 and 1953)  and Villoresi finished 3RD. The magnificent victory of Chinetti and Taruffi and the third place of Ascari and Villoresi created a lot of publicity for Ferrari, especially in the USA. No wonder, as Chinetti was also the American Ferrari importer.

Chinetti is seen pushing his Ferrari 212 Inter. This car replaced Ferrari's successful 166 and 195 Inter GT cars in 1951. Unveiled at the Brussels Motor Show that year, the 212 was an evolution of the 166 — a sports car for the road that could also win international races. The chassis was similar to the 125 with double wishbones in front and live axles in back. Coachbuilders included Carrozzeria Touring, Ghia, Vignale, and now Pinin Farina. The latter was an important move for the company, as Farina was already well-known and adding his styling skills would be a tremendous boost for Maranello. However, Pinin Farina was as proud as Enzo Ferrari, and neither would go to the other to request business up to this point. A mutual meeting halfway between Maranello and Turin was the negotiated solution. Both 2500 mm (98.4 in) and 2600 mm (102.4 in) versions were built (Export and Inter models, respectively), both with a larger 2.6 L (2563 cc/156 in³) version of Ferrari's Colombo V12 engine. Like the 195, the additional displacement over the 166 was achieved with a larger bore, this time to 68 mm. Output was 150 to 165 hp (111 to 123 kW) with one or three Weber 36DCF carburettors. The short-wheelbase Export model got the more-powerful engine. 5 hp (3.7 kW) more was on the table for 1952 thanks to better cylinder heads.

The Carrera PanAmericana was raced from 1950 through 1954. It was held on open roads in Mexico that ran from a southern Mexican west-coast city towards Texas. The race was formed to celebrate the competition of the Panamerican Highway. It was a multi-staged race across the country that counted towards the World Sportscar Championship. The race saw entrants from factory teams, privateers, and amateurs. On average, only one-third of the entrants were able to finish the race.

The first cars to run the race had top speeds of around 100 mph. By 1954, the cars were easily running at 170 mph. The vehicles were not adequately designed to protect the drivers at speeds this great. Being run on open roads meant that many areas of the course could not be managed; live stock, people, obstacles, and a number of other scenarios could make their ways into the road and cause disaster. The decision to cancel the race in 1954 was sad, but necessary. Many people agree that the Carrera Pan Americana race was one of the most grueling road race ever conceived. The race was open to stock production vehicles. A few marque's took advantage of this difficult course to prove their vehicles stamina and toughness, Ferrari was one of them!

Ferrari initially was founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929 as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street legal vehicles in 1947 as Ferrari S.p.A.. Ferrari's cars are among the most desirable of vehicles to drive. Throughout its history, the company has been noted for its continued participation and incredibly passion in racing, especially in Formula One, where it has largely enjoyed great success, especially during the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, late 1990s, and 2000s. Finally, after years of financial struggles, Enzo Ferrari sold the company's sports car division to the Fiat group in 1969 in order to help ensure continued financial backing for the foreseeable future. Enzo Ferrari himself retained control of the racing division until his death in 1988 at the age of 90.

This is a very nice and very rare non period photo that reflects a wonderful era of Ferrari ‘s and Carrera Panamericana 's automotive history in a wonderful way.  This is your rare chance to own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 12" (ca. 20 x 30 cm).  It makes it perfectly suitable for framing.