Ryan submitted a new blog post: The Found Corvette of Le Mans Continue reading the Original Blog Post
Interesting. How the heck could a buyer be sure it is authentic - the exact Briggs team car after all the years, neglect and changes? Just wondering...
If I remember correctly, Vin plates on early corvettes are on the steering column? As I understand it though, GM gave each of these three cars separate chassis numbers as well. And I *think" these were stamped into the frame. You could make some impressive fake shit for $750k... but you also gotta think, for that kind of money people put a lot of effort into verifying the car as well. I think it's HIGHLY unlikely that the found car is a fake car... But I guess that has happened (see Porsche #1).
Growing up in Miami Florida had it's kind of famous men an cars. Eddie Rickenbacker lived here,Briggs Cunningham,and Jim Rathmann were just a few of our loacls. One of my high school(1960) girlfriend"s Dad owned a old Cunningham with a bad Hemi in it! That he was trying to fix up. He was a radio talk show guy,so nuts n bolts were not really his thing. He had me look it over,but it was in bad shape n had a Hemi was locked up,her Dad said he thought it was a Cady. I don't know if Hemi was the first motor in it. The body was styled like a 50s Austin Healey looking thing. I tryed to help her dad, to get it to turn over,but nope ! Along that line n time frame,is a fun pic. H.C. was one of the hot race engine builders in south Fla.
I read that the 1st car had been found a few months ago.. and the legal battle of the ownership was in the courts ..
Somehow some info didn't get communicated between 2 of the "owners". How could the knowledge that the car was previously raced at Le Mans not be known? Sounds fishy.
The story I was told was that the car was in a detached garage/barn and the property sold. The car sat there after closing and then the "owner" came back for it... Not sure of the details, but that was the gist of the story I heard this morning. There was also a third party involved somehow as well... Basically, just a mess... But yeah... something seems fishy with the car's story to me. If it was untouched and still in wrecked form, it would make more sense to me. But the car was "loved" on by someone... money was spent... time was spent... etc... but the history somehow went unnoticed? I just don't get it...
That thing will never be the car it is alleged to be...just a recreation. Waste of time and money. "historical value"...for a few anal nerds that are queer for that shit.
100% disagree with you. I am a sick man. I love cars like most people love people. I believe cars live lives and it's NEVER too late to live another or go back in time. Like I said. I'm crazy... but because of that craze, I don't think it's possible for me to become jaded. Ever.
Got a question early Vettes are not my thing so I don’t know. But why did it have a spread bore manifold on it and possibly a q-jet? Didn’t those come out much later?
I think the person who did what they did to that car really wanted an AC Cobra. The conversion to single headlights and filled side covers are pretty cool. Hell, I kinda like the car as is. Some proper Halibrands would set it off just right. Obviously, the remaining value in this car is in a full restoration to as raced condition. At least they washed it.
Vin is screwed onto the door opening and is stamped into the rear of the frame (you have to remove the body to read it). Ryan, how bad was the original wreck at Le Mans? Finding it interesting that the nose is 56-57, but could have been replaced with an older molding.
#1 was driven by Cunningham and Kimberly... On lap 34 (some reports say 35 or 36), the car crashed and burned. Just got more information from someone that would know, but wants to be anonymous. The car was bought by a guy in South Florida shortly after it returned from Le Mans. He then had a local bodyman rebuild the body and shape it into a car he had always wanted - a Zagato GT. Afterwards, he sold it to another Floridian who painted it purple, put in a Pontiac motor, and turned it into a drag car. A New York restoration shop discovered that the VIN belonged to the #1 car after seeing an ad in Hemmings for a "Pontiac Prototype Sports Car." I searched Hemmings and couldn't find it. Zagato GT example: Basically, Zagato was a coach builder that did work for Ferrari, Aston Martin, Alfa, etc...
All of the cars Duntov took to LeMans in 1960 had Rochester fuel injection. The engine in the "mystery" car is probably not the LeMans engine since the car was extensively modified...if it is indeed one of the LeMans cars. Question........if the engine is different, and the body is highly modified, and the frame VIN is not available.......is it/can it ever be the Lemans car again?
Also... I told my source, "This story doesn't make sense to me. How could this car be under wraps for so long?" His answer: "I don't know what to tell you and I can't explain. This is the car though... 100% certain of that. There are details that only that car would have and only a handful of people would know about. This is the #1 car."
One of the recent owners of that car had a dealership a few miles from my house, and apparently the car was stored very close to me too. He also had another vette displayed in the showroom that was surrounded in mystery. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding him and the Briggs vette
Sorry. Doing this in real time. Me: Why so cheap? I would have figured over $1 million for that car. Is there doubt in the community? Him: No. I don't think there is. Everyone that would know the car has verified the car. Again, it's the car. I think it went for cheaper than expected due to the weird time in which we live right now. Covid, the economy, inflation, etc... Rich people are spooked.
Him: Restored appropriately, the car would have brought over 1.2 three or four years ago. I have no idea what it would bring now. It's hard to say what a 1 of 3 car is worth and we can't go off the #2 or #3 because they are both more accomplished, complete, and sold years ago or privately.
Ok... off the phone... that was weird... I was "live" posting. Felt like a millennial. Anyway, I got the scoop on how they know it's legit... and yeah, it seems legit to me. No idea how it could have stayed under wraps so long though. My only guess? Weird shit happens in Florida.
I was there when it sold. My dear friend is a 53 Vette guru and in touch with the "Vette community" in different ways beyond those 1st year cars. Anyone crying foul or serious doubt is just a hater. Is it worth restoring? You bet your staggered Vette valve covers it is, and value is probably a moonshot number since anything significant is setting the market on it's ear right now. This car is indeed significant. From a keyboard in your home office it's easy to cast negative thoughts into cyber space, especially when you have no skin in the game. The other fact, anyone playing in that sandbox has experienced legal representation INCLUDING the selling venues. 1 fuck up and they go from hero to zero faster than a top fuel 60 foot time. Why did it end up this way? Back then who gave a shit. It was cheap raw material. As an example, a Duesenberg Murphy Roadster sold in southern CA for $600 in 1947 give or take a year. In the mid 50s it sold again for $1,500 in drivable condition. Today it's well over $2.6M but back then it was just a big ol car with a unique engine and few who cared to feed it with the required attention and service. From day 1 to today that car's miracle is it's frame. firewall, engine and body still intact. Even the radiator tanks are the OGs. With this Vette there's enough left to go back to it's former glory and we can look fwd to all three showing up on a manicured lawn somewhere, sooner than later I hope. Bottom line, again with that sandbox of LeMans history and significant racers and those who play in it I'd bet a good cup of coffee there's not a shadow of a doubt that can be cast on to it. I'm actually impressed we're here bench racing over an historic racer. Gave me a warm fuzzy when I crawled around it. Good stuff...
Calm down homie. Only one guy was questioning the value. The rest of us are in. I absolutely LOVE your passion though. As for legitimacy, I questioned it for sure until I was able to hear about how they identified it. Why? Because you have to admit, it's really fucking weird that such an important car could be owned by at least two different people that had no idea of its history. I mean, the last owner thought is was some sort of Pontiac Prototype! Think about it. I just bought my daughter a ten thousand dollar 2016 Mini Countryman... Before buying I made sure to know as much about its past as I could.
For those “in the know”, there seems to be little doubt that this thing is Real. Between the research involved to tracking down all the original bits and pieces, needless to say, this will be a pricey restoration. No matter.. The historical significance is off the chart!
I'm as calm as can be, and really do like that this is here. Net anonymity sometimes comes out more harsh than intended, and I am a blunt insturment of sorts I guess. History and background, yeah there's a lot of us who are weird like that. When the trail stops short of it's 1st days there's an unsolved case in our heads. A mystery we want Robert Stack to take on for us. Had a 41 Packard 160 business cpe, I had a paper trail to the early 60s and it never left the immediate area it was sold new in. I had to wonder who ordered the lowest priced 160 but then loaded it up with a radio, OD, sidemounts, bumper guards and a leather interior. Rich kid from a Pittsburg area steel family? Some mob guy? A gift? All the bells and whistles but no back seat. I do know it never ran at LeMans...
The Jalopy Journal
