The Porsche Formula E Team is kickstarting the celebrations for 75 years of Porsche Motorsport with a special Carrera Panamericana tribute livery for the Mexico City E-Prix.
Harking back to the iconic Mexican road race, the all-silver colour scheme will be run for the second race of the Formula E season on January 10.
It pays tribute to the legendary 550 Spyder, with which Hans Herrmann won a class victory at the Carrera Panamericana in 1954.
This success not only underlined Porsche’s early status in international motorsport but also contributed to the creation of the iconic Porsche name Carrera.
Herrmann’s race car and the highly efficient Porsche 99X Electric share a parallel: The 550 Spyder was the first Porsche vehicle specifically designed for racing, and the 99X Electric is the first vehicle Porsche has developed for purely electric motorsport.
The 550 Spyder made history in 1954 not only on the track: Various company logos adorned the car’s metal bodywork, representing sponsors supporting the Panamericana campaign.
Sponsorship was still a new concept in motorsport at the time and would only become widespread much later.
Some of the most memorable liveries in 75 years of Porsche Motorsport were influenced by sponsorship. They contributed to a colourful diversity that shapes Porsche’s image in racing.
Carrera Panamericana: The notorious race
The Carrera Panamericana was run from 1950 to 1954, and was widely regarded as one of the world’s most dangerous races.
Set across five days and nine stages, the border-to-border sedan race ran almost entirely along the newly constructed Pan-American Highway, and was intended to promote the new road.
The first edition of the legendary race ran from north to south, beginning in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and finishing on the Guatemalan border. It was reversed from 1952.
Porsche made its debut in the race’s third running, before the first class win for a Porsche came in 1953 when Guatemalan driver Jose Herrarte took victory in the Small Sports Car category in his 550 Spyder.
The Porsche 550 Spyder featured the first race use of the 1500 cc four-camshaft engine, which was groundbreaking technology for its time.
Combined with the lightweight aluminum bodywork, this engine enabled the car to reach speeds exceeding 200 km/h, allowing it to outperform heavier vehicles with engines more than three times its size.
More success came in 1954, with Herrmann and Jaroslav Juhan claiming first and second places in the Under 1500cc Sports Car class, and third and fourth overall.
Herrmann covered the 3,070km (1,908 miles) at a scarcely believable average speed of 157.12km/h (97.63mph).
This was to be the final time race was run, though its powerful legacy remains, and there have been several attempts to revive it since.
The Porsche brand was Raceborn then, just as it is today, using the lessons learned on the race track to inform road car production.
The race was so impactful that a year after the last race was held, the Carrera name was given to a new four-cylinder engine used in the 356.
Since then, it has become synonymous with the 911, starting with the famed 911 Carrera RS 2.7. Today, Porsche uses the Carrera name for its base 911 models.
In 2024, Porsche Latin America unveiled the 718 Spyder RS Panamericana Special, a one-of-a-kind vehicle commemorating Porsche's most significant success during the 1954 race.
New year, new challenges: Formula E is back
The 2025-26 Formula E season restarts with the Mexico City E-Prix, round two of the 17-race calendar.
Formula E races on a 2.630-kilometre extension of the Formula 1 circuit at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, which features the highlight of passing through the Foro Sol baseball stadium.
After the opening race in São Paulo in December, two Porsche teams stand tied at the top of the standings: Andretti Formula E and the factory Porsche Formula E team.
For three-quarters of a century, factory and customer have successfully competed together in motorsport at Porsche, and this story continues today.
“Historically, but also today, Mexico is a special place for us,” said Laudenbach.
“Porsche’s history in electric motorsport is still young, but especially the Mexico City track shapes this story. Our factory team secured the first pole position and first win in Formula E here, in 2020 and 2022.
“Overall, Porsche has been more successful at no other Formula E circuit. The livery celebrates our motorsport history and the Mexican fans alike. It is also a thank you to a country that welcomes us warmly every year in Formula E.”
The team took its first pole position in Mexico City in 2020.
In 2022, it was the site of the first win for the Porsche 99X Electric, with Wehrlein and then team-mate André Lotterer celebrating a one-two finish.
In 2023, Andretti customer driver Jake Dennis secured another Porsche victory in Mexico, with Wehrlein winning again in 2024.
This was followed by a double podium in 2025 with António Félix da Costa in second place and Wehrlein in third.
Former world champion Wehrlein even holds a record in Mexico: four pole positions on the same track have so far only been achieved by him.
Racing for Charity
As Porsche enters its seventh Formula E season, the team will bring with it a strong message of social responsibility.
Under the banner of Racing for Charity, the manufacturer will donate €400 for every race lap completed by its two factory-run Porsche 99X Electric cars during the 2025-26 season.
At the opening round in São Paulo, the two factory cars completed every lap, kickstarting the charity campaign with a €24,000 total.
The donations will support three charitable organisations: Kinderherzen retten e.V., Interplast Germany e.V., and the Ferry Porsche Foundation.
Kinderherzen retten e.V. helps children from developing countries who have congenital heart defects.
Interplast Germany is dedicated to humanitarian plastic reconstructive surgery operating young patients in developing countries suffering from soft tissue defects caused by accidents, burns, tumors and congenital malformations.
The programme, launched in 2023, has already generated more than €2.4 million for charitable causes in recent years. Previously, donations were based on the laps completed by Porsche Penske Motorsport at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The initiative has now been expanded to Formula E, and will be visible through dedicated branding on both Porsche 99X Electric cars.
“Our works team is not only competing for world championship titles this season, but also for the highest possible donation amount,” says Dr. Michael Steiner, Deputy Chairman and Member of the Executive Board, Research and Development.
“Porsche has always embraced its social responsibility. With Racing for Charity, we continue our support for seriously ill children worldwide – now for the fourth time. We are delighted to bring the initiative to Formula E as well.”
