The Corvette is well known all around the world today, but its first international debut back in 1954 was not exactly a moment worth remembering. This was back before the Corvette started using V8 engines and was still running the “Blue Flame” inline-six. The international debut of the Corvette was at the third running of the La Carrera Panamericana, a race from the top of Mexico to the bottom. Alas, the ’54 Corvette, piloted by Bill Von Esser threw a rod on the first stage, and never managed to complete the race.

Hopefully, that won’t happen to Bill Peter and John Schantz of Wisconsin. CorvetteBlogger has found out through the La Carrera blog that the two have entered an identical ’54 Corvette in this year’s running of the Panamericana, which starts tomorrow.

The Panamericana has run intermittently for the past 60 years or so. This will actually be the 23^rd running of the race, which has operated and shut down numerous times over safety concerns. Today’s races run over much smoother roads, but the trek still covers approximately 1,900 miles through plenty of harsh country.

We’re not sure if this ’54 is running a modified Blue Flame engine as well, though if they are, we are hoping it doesn’t throw a rod like its predecessor. Considering that the rest of the car is a very accurate representation of the original, even down to the red wire wheels. While the original never finished, it left a lasting impression on Corvette owners as just over a dozen Corvettes have entered the Panamericana. We wish Bill and John good luck, and salute them for taking such a rare, old car on such a treacherous journey.