1953 Cunningham C3 Coupe

The example shown is a C-3 Coupe and one of only 20 ever created. The first owner was William A. Burden of New York, who ordered it with a list of performance improvements from the factory. Mr. Burden owned the car from 1953 and sold it to Lawrence Leeds during the same year. John Paolantonio of New Jersey became the car's third owner in 1962. The car has since passed through several owners. At the 2002 Amelia Island Concours, after a recent restoration, the car was shown. It was awarded a First Place Trophy in the American Sports Car Class. It was sold to an Englishman in 2004 and sent to Europe where it was shown at various car shows. One of the events was the Waddesdon Manor Louis Vuitton Concours in June of 2004.

At the 2006 RM Auction in Monterey, CA, it was expected to sell between $400,000 - $600,000. Chassis number 5211 was offered without reserve. At the conclusion of the bidding the car had found a new owner for just under the predicted value, at $374,000.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2008