Cunningham C-3
Overview
ManufacturerB. S. Cunningham Company
DesignerGiovanni Michelotti for Bertone
Body and chassis
Body style
LayoutF/R
PlatformCustom
Powertrain
EngineChrysler Firepower V8
Transmission
Chronology
PredecessorCunningham C-2R
SuccessorCunningham C-4R

The Cunningham C-3 is a Grand tourer, designed and built by the B. S. Cunningham Company beginning in 1952.[1] Intended primarily as a road car, enough C3 were meant to be built to homologate Briggs Cunningham's racing cars, making them eligible to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.[2]

History

To have his namesake cars homologated as a manufacturer for Le Mans, Cunningham needed to build 25 examples of the C-3.[3][4][5][6]

Two pre-production cars similar in appearance to the C-2Rs were built at the company's West Palm Beach location; a roadster with chassis number 5205, and a coupe with chassis number 5206X. A third chassis, number 5206, was sent to the workshops of carrozzeria Vignale in Turin, Italy, where it received a new coupe body styled by designer Giovanni Michelotti, then working at Vignale.[5][7][8][9] The factory considered chassis 5026 the official prototype, and subsequent cars received the Michelotti body style.[10][11]

Twenty-seven C-3s were built. One reference reports eighteen coupes and nine convertibles.[3] Others report twenty coupes and five convertibles with bodies by Vignale, plus the two cars bodied at the West Palm Beach factory.[12][7] While early factory pricing was US$8,000 (US$97,440 in 2022 dollars) for a Sports Convertible, and US$9,000 (US$109,620) for a Coupe, the cost of a C-3 had risen to US$15,000 (US$182,701) by 1951.[7]

The New York Museum of Modern Art named the C-3 Continental Coupé one of the "10 Best Contemporary Automobiles".[13][3][14]

When production of the C-3 ended, fourteen chassis in various states of completion remained. In 1955 during a disbursement of parts by Hilltop Trailer Sales, Chassis #5235 was purchased by Jack Shakespeare of Indiana. In 1957 subsequent owner John Hanley of Wisconsin commissioned a custom body designed by someone from Brooks Stevens Design Associates, which was fabricated by Bob Jones of Indianapolis.[15][16]

Technical details

The engine in the C-3 is the 331 cu in (5,424 cc) Chrysler FirePower V8 that Cunningham had first used in the C-2Rs, but now with a new intake manifold and four Zenith single-barrel carburetors, and a dual exhaust system. This raised power to 220 hp (164.1 kW) from the factory version's 180 hp (134.2 kW).[7]

The majority of cars received one of two different transmissions offered; the first four cars had a three-speed manual from Cadillac, while subsequent cars used Chrysler's Presto-Matic semi-automatic fluid-coupled two-speed with electric overdrive, for an effective selection of four forward ratios.[17][18][16] An exception was chassis 5223, which received a Chrysler PowerFlite transmission.[16]

The C-3's large-diameter tube chassis was similar to that of the earlier C-2R, but the racing car's De Dion tube rear suspension was replaced by a coil-sprung live axle located by an upper and lower trailing arm on each side.[19]

References

  1. Cotter, Tom (18 September 2017). "1953 Cunningham C-3 Coupe by Vignale". Sports Car Market.
  2. Branch, Ben (27 February 2022). "The Cunningham C-3 – A Rare American Homologation Special". Silodrome.
  3. 1 2 3 "1952 Cunningham — Type: C-3 Continental Coupe". Revs Institute.
  4. Robinson, Aaron (31 January 2019). "Briggs Cunningham: The Connecticut Yankee who battled the best of Europe". Hagerty.
  5. 1 2 Shea, Terry (November 2016). "American Exotic - 1952 Cunningham C-3". Hemmings Classic Car.
  6. Joseph, Jacob (26 January 2016). "1952 Cunningham C3 Coupe". Top Speed.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Dorrington, Leigh (1 October 2010). "Cunningham C-3 Continental — Luxury in a High-performance Package" (PDF). Automobile Quarterly. pp. 16–29.
  8. "1952 Cunningham C-3 West Palm Beach Coupe". RM - Sotheby's.
  9. "1953 Cunningham C3 Coupe by Vignale". RM - Sotheby's.
  10. "Lot 197 — 1952 CUNNINGHAM C-3". Bonhams. 10 Mar 2016.
  11. Zal, Pawel. "1953 Cunningham C-3 Continental Coupe". automobile catalog.
  12. Cotter, Tom (11 March 2011). "Italian Flair and American Muscle". New York Times.
  13. Buckley, Martin (30 July 2005). "The American's dream". The Telegraph.
  14. Gross, Ken. "1952 Cunningham C3 Continental". Frist Art Museum.
  15. Coady, Thomas (1 January 2019). "1952 Cunningham C-3". The Quail.
  16. 1 2 3 Bruce-Briggs, B.; Berman, Lawrence W. (January 2011). "Chassis and Bastards" (PDF). The Cunningham Original Register. pp. 24–26.
  17. D., Nick (2 March 2020). "1951 Cunningham C3 Continental". Supercars.net.
  18. Gross, Ken (10 August 2020). "1952 Cunningham C3 Continental". Frist Art Museum.
  19. Batchelor, Dean; Poole, Chris; Robson, Graham (1988). The Great Book of Sports Cars. New York, New York: The Auto Editors of Consumer Guide. pp. 134, 135. ISBN 0-517-63377-9.
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