– Porsche 99X Electric honours a historic triumph
– Special livery offers a thank-you to Mexican fans
– 75 years of Porsche Motorsport: starting the anniversary year
Stuttgart. Porsche is celebrating Mexico’s motorsport culture and its passionate motorsport fans. At the second ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race of the season in the country’s capital, the two factory-run Porsche 99X Electric will appear in a special livery. It pays tribute to the legendary 550 Spyder with which Hans Herrmann claimed a class victory at the 1954 Carrera Panamericana, Mexico’s most famous road race. Herrmann won the ‘Sport’ category for cars up to 1,500 cc and finished third overall. The widely acclaimed result not only underlined Porsche’s early status in international motorsport, but together with further successes in 1952 and 1953, it also contributed to the creation of the iconic Porsche name “Carrera”.
« Historically and still today, Mexico is a special place for us, » says Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. « Porsche’s story in electric motorsport is still young, but the circuit in Mexico City has played a defining part in it. Our factory team took its first Formula E pole position and first victory here, in 2020 and 2022 respectively. Nowhere else has Porsche been more successful in Formula E. The livery honours our motorsport heritage and the Mexican fans at the same time. It is also a thank-you to a country that welcomes us so warmly in Formula E every year. »
Mexico also marks the start of an anniversary year for Porsche. In 2026, the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer celebrates 75 years of motorsport – a history that began in 1951 with the Porsche 356 SL and a class win at Le Mans. A parallel also connects Hans Herrmann’s 1954 race car with the highly efficient Porsche 99X Electric: the 550 Spyder was the first Porsche designed specifically for racing, while the 99X Electric is the first Porsche developed solely for all-electric motorsport. Laudenbach: « Our heritage in traditional motorsport is unique and is reflected in every Porsche. In the future, we want to be able to say the same in all-electric motorsport. That is why we are competing in Formula E. We want to write stories – and history. »
The 550 Spyder’s legacy in 1954 extended beyond the sporting success. Its aluminium bodywork featured several brand logos from companies that supported the Panamericana campaign. At the time, car sponsorship was still a relatively new concept to motorsport and would only become widespread much later. Some of the most memorable liveries in 75 years of Porsche Motorsport can be traced back to the influence of sponsorship, contributing to the variety of colours that has shaped Porsche’s identity in racing.
Yannick Bitzer,