The triple crown is The Indy 500, Monaco, and Le Mans… To me, the race that most tests not just the machine, but the driver is Le Mans… It is racing at its most challenging and finest…
You really have to be in awe of his determination and dedication to build the perfect race car! I know it helped that he was rich, but even so he kept trying again and again. Thanks again for a really great thread.
I love that with every new car, Cunningham was throwing everything he could at each model in an attempt to win. European sports cars from this era (i.e. Jaguar, Porsche, Mercedes Benz...) were designed not to overpower the ch***is. In fact, many were deliberately under-powered so that they would be reliable. This allowed them to run for much longer in racing compe***ions than anything America had at this point in history. Totally different philosophy. Boil it all down, it best can be said this way: its much more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.
I heard a story years ago that Kiekhafer was planning to build a v12 two stroke for Cunnigham's Le Mans racer. Not all that crazy, I think there was an out board motor conversion in a Maserati A6 about this same time
Looks like the restored c-6r car has a jag engine ( 6 cyl ) but with the offie4 next to it. Also looks like some body lines from jag c type. Still all beautiful & great articles. Would love to have c-5r or 6r. How many of the various models did he actually sell ( sales brochure )?Watching for next installment
They tried running the offy motor in multiple events, kept burning it, and finally stuck the Jag motor in. I believe the c-2 is the only car they really ever marketed to the public…
"Way back story" In 1962; One of the cute girls in highschool,that hung out with my Sister's group, Karen Bayer ,her father "Bill Bayer" had got a used Cunningham in some type of trade! He was not a car guy,but he was a big TV and a radio talk show personality with his own show. He collected all kinds of things! The sportscar did not run,and Karen asked me,if I could get it started up,for her Dad,it never had run from the time he got it.? {that turned out to be about 2 years before} Being I was Miami Sr High go too guy about cars. Can't say no too pretty girls!! Well I went over too her house,an she told her Dad why I was there! He started right off telling all about his Cunningham,about the Cady engine it had an other things he thought he know about it. So we go out back,an there is the car under a big old dirty trap,sticks an **** all over it. Pull the trap off;all the tires are flat an looks a bit nasty. I ask about openning the hood? He said,he had never opened it{hummmm}. I looked around to find how? He didn't know and it took me about 15min.+ to fig out,that it had had a pull nob lock under the dash=with out any pull nob on it anymore/broken off. Get the old cable an bracket off the bottom of dash/both rusty screws are no go,but the bracket"L" after some bending cracks in 1/2,so it drops down. At that point,cut off of the outer housing with ****s,so I get hold of inter wire visegrip type plyers. Pull hard! Luckly the hood pops up about a 1/2 in. high on one end. Making it ,so it can be lefted after now about 45min.+. Under the rat nests an stuff that should not be under any hood,is not a Cady,but a Hemi. Like I said,her Dad was a nice guy,but not a car guy at all! After looking it over,I had to tell him,it looked to me like he needed a full overhall*an all new wiring. I could not just make it start up. Karen told me later,he sold it about 6 months after I had tryed to help out! All really got out of that was a kiss!!
Great post @Ryan! I had a chance to visit with Briggs’s grandson at his grandfather’s induction into the Corvette Hall of Fame. While picking his brain about the Corvettes winning their cl*** at Le Mans in their first year, the Cunningham C-4R came up along with several other race cars. Needless to say that conversation could have gone on for days, but I did not want to monopolize his gracious time. A few more relevant personal pictures to add:
enjoying your articles. The REVS Museum had the LeMonstre in the shop this week I took some pictures of the car apart on jack stands and the hood open. Will try to forward to you. If you look at the C-1 from an angle down the side, it looks just like a A/C Cobra. Briggs designed and built this car in 1950. The Cobra was 14 years later but has almost all the same design.
There was a stunning road going version under a tent at Hershey a few years back. Hemi powered, fastback, colors were off the hook in a dirty white and rich cadet blue. Stopped me dead in my tracks. Guy comes up after a few moments, asks "You know what you're loo..." (I stopped him) "Dude, coitus-interuptous is rude." My pal comes up later and asks what it is. "Cunningham, hemi, nuff said. I could look at it every day for the rest of my life." While he wasn't as smitten as I he did want to see it again on the walk back. Who wouldn't.
The Jalopy Journal
