Hemi History - 1953-54 Cunningham C3 Continental

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mart
Posts: 536
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2005 2:06 pm

Hemi History - 1953-54 Cunningham C3 Continental

Post by mart »

Hemi History - 1953-1954 Cunningham C3
Continental Vignale Coupe

I found this on the "Ultimate Car Pages website.
I've attached direct url links to the large v
ersions of the 6 pics from the aticle - plus I've
also directly attached an additional 'close-up' pic
of the Cunningham's absolutely gorgeous 4-carbed
331 Hemi engine that I copied from the article, but
cleaned up and enlarged a bit for better viewing.
Enjoy! :)

mart
=======================================================
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/2394 ... Coupe.html

1953-54 Cunningham C3
Continental Vignale Coupe


Article by Wouter Melissen,
last updated on July 25, 2005

Very few privateers
have been as successful
in sportscar racing than Briggs Swift Cunnigham.
Born as a rich banker's son in 1907, Cunningham
got actively involved in motor racing rather
late at the age of 41. He had previously backed
others, but he did not drive himself until after
his mother died, who very opposed to him racing.
His first race was at Watkins Glen and the car was
a Buick / Mercedes-Benz hybrid, known as the
'Bumerc', the construction of which Cunningham
had backed in 1939. This race really spiked his
interest in road racing, in which he actively
participated for two decades.

More than anything, Cunnigham was interested
in long distance racing and he set his sights on
the most legendary of all, the 24 Hours of
Le Mans. He did not just want to win the event,
but he wanted to be the first to do so with an
all-American team. After the Duesenbergs and
Millers of the 1920s, very few American successes
were scored in Europe. Prepared by Phil Walters
and Frick and with the help of 1949 winner Luigi
Chinetti, two Cadillacs were entered in the 1950
Le Mans race. One of these was fitted with a stock
body, but the second was fitted with a custom
built, which for obvious reasons was nick-named
'Le Monstre' by the French.

Although the cars were not on the pace, the
10th and 11th place finishes ensured that
Cunningham's entries for the 1951 race would
be accepted by the picky Automobile Club de
l'Ouest (ACO), which organized the legendary
race. To take on the strong competition
Cunnigham bought Walters' and Frick's shop to
form B.S. Cunningham Co, which was based out
of West Palm Beach, Florida. Over the winter
of 1950/51 a prototype racer was constructed,
the C-1, powered by a Cadillac engine.
Cunningham quickly abandoned the Cadillac
engine, because of a complete lack of support
from the company. He turned to Chrysler, who
were willing to support the development and
offer their HEMI engines at a 40% discount.

Dubbed the C-2R, the HEMI powered Cunningham
was a sophisticated and well constructed affair.
A simple, but effective steel tubular frame chassis
formed the basis of the C-2. It was suspended at
the front by unequal A-arms and at the rear by
an exotic DeDion rear axle. The only gearbox
available strong enough to cope with the Chrysler
Firepower's enormous torque was a Cadillac three
speed 'box. The package was clothed in a simple
aluminium barchetta style body. Being very well
built and very large, the Cunningham was rather
overweight, which made the car very hard on
the brakes. This was made even worse by the
lack of engine braking by going down the gears
compared to other cars fitted with four or five
speed 'boxes.

Chrysler modified the Firepower engine to
produce around 250 bhp, from the 180 bhp
available in stock form. Despite the enormous
weight of the car, the C-2Rs proved surprisingly
competitive. Three cars were entered livered
in white with two blue stripes, the first use of
racing stripes ever. Two crashed out, but the
third car held 2nd position when a bearing and
valve failure threw it back considerably. It
eventually finished in 18th position. Back in
North America, Cunningham started to rack up
victories with his racers. At the West Palm Beach
factory work was started on a new racer for 1952
and a road car, of which the ACO required 25 to
be produced to make Cunningham eligible to run
as a separate manufacturer.

For 1952, the C-2R's biggest problems were
tackled, which resulted in the smaller and much
lighter C-4R. Technically the biggest change was
the replacement of the heavy and complex
DeDion axle by a simple live axle. Almost half a
ton was shaved off the C-2R's weight. Performance
was further increased thanks to the reworked
Firepower engine, now pumping out over 300 bhp.
In North America, the C-4R was virtually unbeatable,
so Cunningham was quite confident that he could
take on Europe's finest at Le Mans. Three cars were
built entered, two with a barchetta body and one
with a Kamm designed coupe body.

Again only one Cunningham managed to
complete the 24 Hours in one piece. One of the
barchettas and the coupe was forced to retire
with engine problems. The remaining car,
driven by Briggs Cunningham and William 'Bill'
Spear, took top honours in their class and
recorded a fourth place finish overall. In 1953
all three cars finished in the top ten, with the
rebodied C-5R taking a 'best of the rest' spot in
third behind the disc-brake D-Types. In 1954,
Cunningham recorded another fourth place
and secured a class victory for the third year
running. This was the end of a very successful
career for the V8 engined Cunnigham racers.
Briggs Cunningham continued to race at Le
Mans for many years with Jaguars, Chevrolets
and Maseratis.

Briggs Cunningham's exceptional sportsmanship
was not only displayed in cars, but also out on
the sea, where he defended the United States'
honours in the America's Cup. He won this
prestigious sailing race in 1958 as the Captain
of the 'Columbia'. As a manufacturer he was
slightly handicapped by his ideal of building an
all-American racer, which prevented him from
using bits and pieces that would have made his
cars even more successful. Especially his
perseverance of using Firestone tires over
the superior Dunlop rubber cost him dearly
at Le Mans. Cunningham is a true pioneer
who paved the way for people like Carroll
Shelby and remains as one of the biggest
names in motorsport.

Featured is one of the road going C3s, which
Cunningham required to construct to qualify
as a car manufacturer. Technically the road
cars were very similar to the racing cars.
Upon completion the rolling chassis was shipped
to Italy for Vignale to body. The C3 was very
expensive for an American car, and as soon as
the mandatory 25 cars were constructed,
production ceased. Pictured is s/n 5211, which
is seen here at the 2004 European Concours
d'Elegance.

------------------------
General specifications

Country of origin - United
States

Chassis number - 5211

Numbers built - 27

Produced - from 1951-1954

Body design - Vignale

Engine Configuration - Chrysler
FirePower 90º V 8

Location - Front, longitudinally
mounted

Displacement - 5.424 liter/331
cu in

Bore / Stroke - 96.8 mm
(3.8 in)/ 92.1 mm (3.6 in)

Valvetrain - OHV, 2 valves/cylinder,

Fuel feed - 4 Zenith Carburettors

Aspiration - Naturally Aspirated
---------------------------------
Drivetrain

Chassis/body -aluminium body on
steel tubular chassis

Front suspension - unequal length
A-arms, coil springs, telescopic
shock absorbers

Rear suspension - live axle, parallel
trailing arms, coil springs, telescopic
shock absorbers

Steering - worm and roller

Brakes -drums, all-round

Gearbox - 4 speed Automatic
Drive - Rear wheel drive
-----------------------------
Dimensions

Weight - 1588 kilo/3500.9 lbs

Performance figures

Power - 235 bhp/175 KW @ 4400 rpm

Torque -407 Nm/300 ft lbs @ 4000 rpm

BHP/Liter 43 bhp/liter

Power to weight - 0.15 bhp / kg

Top Speed - 210 km/h / 130 mph

0-60 mph - 10.0 seconds

------------------------------------------------------
Photos:

1) http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/l ... oupe_1.jpg

2) http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/l ... oupe_2.jpg

3) http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/l ... oupe_3.jpg

4) http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/l ... oupe_4.jpg

5) http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/l ... oupe_5.jpg

6) http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/l ... oupe_6.jpg


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mart
Posts: 536
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2005 2:06 pm

....And Another Restored '54 Cunningham C3

Post by mart »

....And another beautifully restored '54 Cunningham C3
'Vignale' Coupe. This one featured on the ConceptCarz
site. As with the previous article, besides URL links to
the large versions of the pics, I've also copied, cleaned
up, slightly cropped and enlarged two of the engine pics
and attached them directly. Enjoy! :)

mart
=======================================================
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z161 ... ental.aspx

1954 Cunningham C3
Competition Continental


One of 18 Vignale coupes built by wealthy
internationally known sportsman, Briggs
Cunningham, who not only won Sebring but
placed 3rd at LeMans. The body was designed
by Giovanni Michelotti and hand built by
Italian coachbuilder Vignale. It is equipped
with the original 331 cubic-inch Chrysler
Hemi V8 with optional Cunningham design
and built dual quad intake manifold.

The cars were built by hand in Cunningham's
race shop in West Palm Beach, Florida.

This example has had just 3 owners since new
and has documented original miles. it retains
all original parts and had no rust or damage
prior to its restoration.

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.
he 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.
--------------------------
Photos:

1) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... C_e002.jpg

2) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... C_e003.jpg

3) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... bS_e04.jpg

4) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... bS_e03.jpg


5) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... C_e001.jpg

6 ) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... HC_001.jpg

7) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... KnW-07.jpg

8 ) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... KnW-05.jpg

9) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... KnW-04.jpg

10) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... KnW-02.jpg

11) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... KnW-01.jpg

12) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... HHC_02.jpg

13) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... HHC_01.jpg

14) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... HC_002.jpg

15) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... bS_i03.jpg

16) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... C_i002.jpg

17) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... bS_i02.jpg

18) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... C_i001.jpg

19) http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Cunnin ... bS_i01.jpg

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