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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