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In the early 1950s, Briggs S. Cunningham built racecars at his West Palm Beach factory. His goal was to produce an American racecar that could compete in the famous LeMans.
In 1952, he built a road car based on his C-2R racer and called it the C-3. The C-3, a two-door hardtop, is powered by an overhead-valve 331 cubic-inch, 220 horsepower, Chrysler engine. The car was designed by Giovanni Michelotti and bodied by Vignale Carrozzeria. The car weighed 2,800 lbs., sold for $10,000 to $11,442, and could attain a top speed of 138 mph. Less than 30 of these vehicles were produced.
In 1952, he built a road car based on his C-2R racer and called it the C-3. The C-3, a two-door hardtop, is powered by an overhead-valve 331 cubic-inch, 220 horsepower, Chrysler engine. The car was designed by Giovanni Michelotti and bodied by Vignale Carrozzeria. The car weighed 2,800 lbs., sold for $10,000 to $11,442, and could attain a top speed of 138 mph. Less than 30 of these vehicles were produced.
At the age of 43, Briggs S. Cunningham II became president of cunningham motors. the purpose of the company was to build a vehicle that would be capable of winning the le mans for the us. the rules for the race included that the vehicle must be made by a manufacturer that sells a certain number of vehicles per year. cunningham meeted this criteria by selling the C2R and the C3 Vignale Coupe. these cars are among the most collectible us production vehicles today.
Briggs Swift Cunningham was a sports car driver who raced at tracks like Sebring and Le Mans, he raced Cadillac, Corvettes and Jaguars. In 1951 he then started to build his own cars, Cunninghams, including the C-3 with a powerful Chrysler Hemi engine.
The 1952 C-3 Cunningham arrived in the USA. Alfredo Vignale's Carrozzeria Vignale Coachworks in Turin, Italy was building the bodies. The design was similar to the Ferrari 212 and 225 models. It is believed that 19 coupes and 4 cabriolets were built.
This is the car described and photographed in Mechanix Illustrated October, 1953, featured in Modern Sports Car and road tested by Phil Stiles.
The C-3's ladder-type chassis had independent front suspension and a coil sprung Chrysler rear axle located by parallel trailing arms. Leather seats, large speedometer and matching combination gauges. The engine was a stock 331 cubic-inch Chrysler Hemi with four Zenith downdraft carburetors. Horsepower was 220.
The 1952 C-3 Cunningham arrived in the USA. Alfredo Vignale's Carrozzeria Vignale Coachworks in Turin, Italy was building the bodies. The design was similar to the Ferrari 212 and 225 models. It is believed that 19 coupes and 4 cabriolets were built.
This is the car described and photographed in Mechanix Illustrated October, 1953, featured in Modern Sports Car and road tested by Phil Stiles.
The C-3's ladder-type chassis had independent front suspension and a coil sprung Chrysler rear axle located by parallel trailing arms. Leather seats, large speedometer and matching combination gauges. The engine was a stock 331 cubic-inch Chrysler Hemi with four Zenith downdraft carburetors. Horsepower was 220.
 |  | View more photos Coupe Coachwork: Vignale Designer: Giovanni Michelotti Chassis Num: 5210 |
During the 1950's Mr. Briggs C. Cunningham Jr. made it his personal mission to claim victory at the 24 Hours of LeMans. Several times, he came very close to accomplishing his goals. He financed the entire endeavor himself.
The first in the series was dubbed the C-1. It was powered by a 331 cubic-inch Chrysler Hemi and matted to a tubular chassis. It was suspended in place by a De Dion rear suspension and a front coil-spring setup. Only one C-1 was ever created and it was designed for road use. The C-2, also called the C-2R, was introduced in 1951. There were three examples created, all designed for racing competition. One was driven by John Fitch and Phil Walters at LeMans where they managed to run as high as 2nd place. The fuel for the event was supplied by the French organizers which turned out to be the team's downfall. It did not work well with the Chrysler engine and eventually the Hemi's valves began to burn. When the C-2R models returned to the United States, they solidified their potential by winning at Road America and Watkins Glen.
For 1952 a new car was needed, one that could comply with the ever-changing rules and regulations. For the 1952 year, the biggest hurtle was satisfying the homologation rule which stated that 25 production vehicles needed to be created. A prototype of the C-3 was created at Cunningham's West Palm Beach factory. At the time of completion, it was estimated that the build cost was around $15,000 and the selling price of $8000 to $9000 would fall short of covering the cost.
In an effort to manage costs, Alfredo Vignale's of Turin, Italy was tasked with building the bodies to a new design by Giovanni Michelotti. The result was one of America's most stunning Gran Turisimo vehicles ever created.
The ladder-type tub chassis was very similar to the C-2. A coil-sprung Chrysler live axle located by parallel trailing arms replaced the prior De Dion rear end suspension. The eleven-inch drum brakes were borrowed from Mercury. The 105 inch wheelbase was initially used but was later enlarged to be more accommodating for the 2+2 configuration. The engine was a Chrysler unit that produced 235 horsepower which was sent to the rear wheels through a semi-automatic Chrysler transmission. The C-3 Continental Competition Coupes could race from zero-to-sixty in under seven seconds.
Inside the occupants were treated pleated leather seats and large instrumentation. The spare tire and fuel tank occupied most of the space in the trunk so luggage had to be carried inside the vehicle. The first C-3 Coupe, named Continental, was shown throughout 1952 and 1953 by Cunningham and his team. In October of 1952, the second C-3 constructed made an appearance at the Paris Auto Show. By 1953, production of the C-3 was in full swing, able to create a chassis a week. The bottleneck was with Vignale who required almost two months to finish the rest of the vehicle. In total, five cabriolets and twenty coupes were created with the coupes carrying a price of $11,422.50.
Cunningham made additional attempts at winning at LeMans with his C-4R, C-4RK, C-5R and C-6R.
The first in the series was dubbed the C-1. It was powered by a 331 cubic-inch Chrysler Hemi and matted to a tubular chassis. It was suspended in place by a De Dion rear suspension and a front coil-spring setup. Only one C-1 was ever created and it was designed for road use. The C-2, also called the C-2R, was introduced in 1951. There were three examples created, all designed for racing competition. One was driven by John Fitch and Phil Walters at LeMans where they managed to run as high as 2nd place. The fuel for the event was supplied by the French organizers which turned out to be the team's downfall. It did not work well with the Chrysler engine and eventually the Hemi's valves began to burn. When the C-2R models returned to the United States, they solidified their potential by winning at Road America and Watkins Glen.
For 1952 a new car was needed, one that could comply with the ever-changing rules and regulations. For the 1952 year, the biggest hurtle was satisfying the homologation rule which stated that 25 production vehicles needed to be created. A prototype of the C-3 was created at Cunningham's West Palm Beach factory. At the time of completion, it was estimated that the build cost was around $15,000 and the selling price of $8000 to $9000 would fall short of covering the cost.
In an effort to manage costs, Alfredo Vignale's of Turin, Italy was tasked with building the bodies to a new design by Giovanni Michelotti. The result was one of America's most stunning Gran Turisimo vehicles ever created.
The ladder-type tub chassis was very similar to the C-2. A coil-sprung Chrysler live axle located by parallel trailing arms replaced the prior De Dion rear end suspension. The eleven-inch drum brakes were borrowed from Mercury. The 105 inch wheelbase was initially used but was later enlarged to be more accommodating for the 2+2 configuration. The engine was a Chrysler unit that produced 235 horsepower which was sent to the rear wheels through a semi-automatic Chrysler transmission. The C-3 Continental Competition Coupes could race from zero-to-sixty in under seven seconds.
Inside the occupants were treated pleated leather seats and large instrumentation. The spare tire and fuel tank occupied most of the space in the trunk so luggage had to be carried inside the vehicle. The first C-3 Coupe, named Continental, was shown throughout 1952 and 1953 by Cunningham and his team. In October of 1952, the second C-3 constructed made an appearance at the Paris Auto Show. By 1953, production of the C-3 was in full swing, able to create a chassis a week. The bottleneck was with Vignale who required almost two months to finish the rest of the vehicle. In total, five cabriolets and twenty coupes were created with the coupes carrying a price of $11,422.50.
Cunningham made additional attempts at winning at LeMans with his C-4R, C-4RK, C-5R and C-6R.
| Mille MigliaThe Mille Miglia was first run in 1927 and quickly became a highlight for entrants, spectators, and enthusiasts. The first race featured around seventy-five starters, all of which were Italian. The race occurred twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957; thirteen were run before the war and eleven from 1947 onward. The cars were separated by one minute intervals with the professional, large displacement cars running first. In 1938 an accident occurred killing 23 spectators. It was not until 1947 before the race was resumed. The number of entrants swelled to nearly 250, with around 160 starting the race. The race came to an end in 1957 as a car went into the crowd, killing his co-driver and several spectators. Another sad end to a legendary race. |
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Automobile information, history, and statistics from concept to production. | © 1998-2008 Conceptcarz.com
Automobile information, history, and statistics from concept to production. | © 1998-2008 Conceptcarz.com