Carrera Sunglasses originated in 1956. Fascinated by the Carrera Panamericana auto race in Mexico, eyewear designer Wilhelm Anger Werker created a line of specialized sunglasses for the auto racing industry. In addition, the company\'s initial catalogue included glasses and goggles for skiing and other winter sports. In 1974 the company went through extensive changes, relocating its headquarters to Traun, Austria, and changing the name to Carrera International. Here the company\'s association with high-end cars continued when they collaborated with Ferdinand Porsche to launch the Carrera Porsche Design collection of sunglasses. In the 1980s the company was associated with major sporting events such as Formula 1 Racing, the Americas Cup and the 1988 Winter Olympics. 1996 was a year of changes for Carrera Sunglasses with the company\'s purchase by Safilo, the world\'s largest sunglasses company. With this move Carrera Sunglasses was split into a sports division and a lifestyle division, the latter using retro designs going back to the 1960s. This caused a boom in the brand\'s popularity which continues today.
