1952 Cunningham C4-R

In the 1950s Briggs began focusing on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a grueling and very prestigious race. The way he wanted to conquer this race was with a formula that had never been done before - using an all-American racing team. American drivers and American cars had won races in Europe before, but the combination of American cars and American drivers had never been successful at Le Mans.

Unfortunately, Briggs was never able to ascertain this goal, but he and his racing team did accumulate many successful finishes at Sebring, Elkhart Lake, Bridgehampton, and more.

For the 1950 Le Mans, two Cadillacs were prepared for the race. The first Cadillac was custom-built and dubbed 'Le Monstre' by the French. This car was very large and not very visually appealing. It was built in the 'off-hours' by a group of engineers from Grumman Aircraft. The other Cadillac that was entered was basically a stock Coupe de Ville with minor modifications. To finish the race is considered a major accomplishment; the duo finished 10th and 11th.

His best finish at the race was the 3rd place finish in 1953 and 1954. In 1952 he managed a fourth-place finish, and in 1954, a 5th place finish.

The Le Mans had homologation rules meaning that a certain number of street versions of vehicles being raced needed to be produced. Cunningham satisfied this requirement by producing vehicles out of a factory located in West Palm Beach, Florida. The vehicles were expensive; $9,000 for the coupe and $10,000 for the roadster. In turn, less than 30 vehicles were purchased and produced soon ended.

To prepare for the 1951 Le Mans, a prototype was built and designated the name 'C-1'. This vehicle featured a Cadillac engine, but the relationship between Cunningham and Cadillac did not last due to insufficient financial support on behalf of Cadillac.

Cunningham approached Chrysler, who in turn gave him their full support. Cunningham was able to purchase the Chrysler engines at a 40 percent discount.

A second prototype, the C-2R, was developed using a Chrysler-built Hemi engine capable of producing 180 hp stock. The compression was modified from 7.5 to 8.6, four downdraft Zenith carburetors were fitted and the result was 220 horsepower. After additional testing and modifications, exhaust, and intake porting, the output was further increased to 270.

The chassis for the C-1 and the C-2R were identical. They featured Cadillac drum brakes, Chrysler's worm-and-sector steering, and Oriflow shock absorbers provided by Chrysler. The C-2R had a top speed of around 152.

The vehicles Cunningham built were very fast, but they were also very heavy. The drum brakes were large, but the weight and the speed of the vehicle were sometimes too much. A combination he was never able to perfect.

In 1952, the C-4R and C-4RK coupe came into existence. They were lighter and smaller than the previous designs, with a footprint that was sixteen inches shorter, six inches slimmer, and lighter by nearly a thousand pounds. Horsepower output had been increased to 325 bhp. By this point in history, Bill Frick had returned to Long Island and G. Briggs Weaver had joined the team. Weaver was known for his design of racing and sporting duPont cars of the 1920s, and his expertise, experience, and talents were a welcome addition to the team. Additionally, Chrysler engineers from Detroit were providing assistance and advice.

Cunningham entered the Le Mans with three cars (two roadsters and a coupe) and six drivers. Two cars were unable to finish and retired from the race. The other car Briggs drove for nearly 20 hours. Bill Spears finished the final four hours. They finished the race in a very impressive fourth place. John Fitch, who had become the SCCA's first national champion in 1951, was paired with an Eastern midget car driver named George Rice. Phil Walters and Duane Carter, an Indianapolis veteran drove the coupe. Practice revealed problems, as the Chrysler-designed Alfin brake drums could not cope with the rigors of racing, and their liners began to crack. Without spares, the team had to use the brakes sparingly and gently during the race.

By midnight, only the car driven by Briggs remained, and he would continue doing so for nearly twenty of the twenty-four hours. Briggs had remained at the helm because his clutch was slipping and he was worried that Bill Spear would drive the car too aggressively. Additionally, Bill's less-than-perfect vision would present grave dangers when the early morning fog rolled in. At the end of the 24 hours, a Cunningham finished the race in an impressive fourth place.

In the 1953 Le Man's race, the C-4R finished seventh, and C-4RK finished tenth. The C-5R finished third, being only forty-two miles behind the second-place vehicle. The first place vehicles were Jaguars fitted with disc brakes. If the Cunningham vehicles had also been outfitted with disc brakes, the race may have finished differently.

In 1954, the two C-4Rs produced a third and fifth-place finish.

The C-5R featured a narrow tube frame and an aluminum body. Using a straight-axle, torsion bar, and front suspension, thirty pounds were shaved from the vehicle's weight. The rear of the vehicle featured a live rear axle with torsion bar suspension.

During a 12-hour endurance race in Reims, the C-5R and driver, John Fitch, endured a wreck that caused the vehicle to go end-over-end. Fitch survived, and the vehicle was returned to the U.S. and rebuilt.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2008