A superb and rare photo taken during the 1953 edition of the Carrera PanAmericana road race which was ridden in Mexico.  Shown is Lancia works rider Giovanni Bracco, sitting with his eternal cigarette in his absolutely magnificent Lancia D23 works racing car! Bracco was forced to retire in the 4 leg of the race due to an accident. Lancia did excellent with their D23 and D24 race cars, finishing 1-2-3 in that years edition of the Carrera Panamericana!

The Carrera Panamericana was  regarded as the most heavy and most prestigious long distance rally in the world. For the 1953 Carrera Panamericana the Sports and Stock classes were both subdivided into Large and Small groups, giving four categories in which to compete. These were split by engine cubic capacity; sports cars under and over 1600 cc were Small and Large respectively, and stocks cars under and over 3500 cc likewise. This was to accommodate the huge number of participants and the diverse breeds of cars within the race. Both Lincoln and Lancia came to the race highly organized and both factories swept 1-2-3 finishes in their respective categories. The Europeans dominated the sports categories, and the Americans the stock. Large Sports Cars was won by Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina in a Lancia, Small Sports Cars by José Herrarte from Guatemala in a Porsche. Large Stock Cars was won by Chuck Stevenson of the United States in a Lincoln and Small Stock Cars by C.D. Evans (again of the U.S.) in an ordinary six cylinder Chevrolet. Stevenson has the distinction of being the only person to ever win twice in the original race.

Giovanni Bracco was an Italian racing car driver. He lived in Biella, home town of other racing aces such as Mario Porrino and Lamberto Grolla. Before and after World War II he had been racing Lancia Aprilias. He won the 1948 Italian Grand Prix (2-litre class) in a Maserati A6 GCS, before joining Ferrari 1950-52, winning the 1952 Mille Miglia in a Ferrari 250. With his younger pupil, Umberto Maglioli, he got second in the 1951 Mille Miglia, driving a Lancia Aurelia B20. He raced a Maserati 200S in 1955.

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. Finishing the race was a major accomplishment but to win was an accomplishment to the highest degree.

This is a very nice and very rare non period photo that reflects a wonderful era of Lancia ‘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.