In 1953 two first-year Harvard Business School students, Francis E Baker (HC ‘51, HBS ‘55) and Gérard Fabry (HBS ‘55), were walking back from Cambridge when they decided, as Gerry recalls, that they should drive to Rio de Janeiro. That was the decision that launched a 16,000 mile “car trip” on the Pan American highway.
“We just want to want to learn about South America” is what they told the press, but their plan had a bit more depth. They secured sponsorship from MG, Dunlop Tires and the Automobile Association of America. Frank used his experience as an editor of Harvard Lampoon to get an International News Wire press pass. He organized for his undergrad roommate Bruin Hall (HC ‘51) to promote them. They arranged a Boston speakers bureau, Lordly & Dame, to do a tour after they returned.
Planning Such A Trip in 1954
A ton of questions remain —
What motivated them? Adventure? Popularity? Accomplishment?
Why the MG TD over an Oldsmobile, Wileys Jeep or Land Rover?
Where do you learn what roads exist? Where the Pan American Highway is real and where it is a dirt road?
How do you get a press pass in 1954? And how do you get papers to pick up your story?
When do you find the time to do this when you are doing your first year of business school?
Starting with the Carrera Panamericana
There is no question that the idea of driving from Cambridge to Rio de Janeiro was then, as now, an audacious feat.
But if you think back to the 1950s, a time of John Wayne and Gunsmoke. Think of Garrison Keilor’s Guy Noir as an example of draw of macho heroism.Both Frank and Gerry were clearly driven. Both volunteered in the military, both attended great schools, both were accepted into Harvard Business School.
At the time, Mexico was running the Carrera Panamericana. A race so dangerous, only 50% of the cars finished and 4-5 drivers died, each year.
In that first race, the Americans that gained huge fame for winner were driving Oldsmobile Delta Rocket 88, not Italian Ferraris or German Porches. While the Europeans joined later, and did well, there weren’t a lot of MG convertibles and the MG wasn’t considered an overland vehicle.
Back in Cambrdge
So the questions remain to be answered. Headed into Cambridge for dinner or to go to the Pheonix Club, what makes you decide to drive to Rio in an MG?
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