Historic look as a thank you to the fans: Porsche races with special livery at the Mexico City E-Prix

The second race of the season and the first race of the new year is coming up: Mexico invites Formula E to its capital. Just like last year, Porsche will be dressing up for the occasion. In 2026, they are dedicating a special livery directly to the Mexican fans. In a historic silver colour and with iconic stickers, the German manufacturer is paying homage to the class victory at the Carrera Panamericana in 1954.

The Carrera Panamericana is probably the most famous automobile competition in Mexico. Back in the fifties, Hans Herrmann drove the Porsche 550 Spyder to victory in the "Sport" category for cars up to 1,500 cc and came third overall. This success was instrumental in the creation of the legendary name of the Porsche world: "Carrera". But this historic victory is not the only reason for the Stuttgart-based company to celebrate, as the start of 2026 marks "75 years of motorsport" at Porsche!

Mexico a special place for Porsche

The sports car manufacturer has now set the course for the electric market. Two Porsche works teams will be competing in Formula E next year. But even with just one team, the company has already enjoyed great success in Mexico. Thomas Laudenbach, Head of Porsche Motorsport, looks back: "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."

The German Formula E team has never been more successful at a track. Laudenbach knows who he wants to thank: "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."

The livery combines two worlds, modernity and history.

Porsche 99X Electric in sheet metal look

The Porsche 550 Spyder that Hans Herrmann drove at the time had no real paintwork. The car had an aluminum bodywork, with a few stickers and minimal red accents. It is precisely this silver look that Porsche now applies to large areas of the Formula E cars. Only the rear wing and a small part of the rear are in purple, otherwise the entire car has a retro look.

The new design of the start numbers is particularly striking. In the centre of a large yellow circle, these are written in black both on the sidepods and on the front. Even a badge that was mounted on the bonnet of the 550 Spyder at the time made it onto the Porsche 99X Electric in a slightly modified form. Especially from the front, the car is barely recognisable compared to the season opener in Sao Paulo.

We will soon find out whether the new livery will bring the Porsche works team further major successes this weekend. The race weekend starts this Friday at 11pm CET with the first free practice session.

Addendum dated 9 January 2026, 7:30 pm:

As we learned shortly before the Mexico City E-Prix, Hans Hermann will sadly not live to see the Porsche 99X Electric race in "his" 1954 livery. Hermann passed away on Friday at the age of 97. He is survived by his wife Magdalena, two sons and one grandson.