Cunningham C-4R Continuation
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1952- ... tinuation/
More Photos: http://www.thehemi.com/gallery3/index.p ... /C-4R/1952This Cunningham C-4R is the second of four continuation chassis built in the late 1990s by The Cunningham Company in Connecticut with authorization from the Cunningham family as a revival of Briggs Swift Cunningham’s Le Mans-class-winning sports cars of the 1950s. Chassis 5220 was delivered new to the previous owner of one of the three original C-4R chassis and was subsequently displayed as part of marque events including the 2007 Quail, A Motorsports Gathering and the 2013 Lime Rock Park Historic Festival. The car is also said to have spent time on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum before changing hands in 2015, and it was later purchased by the selling dealer in late 2025. Finished in a white and blue livery over aluminum body panels, the car is powered by a 331ci Chrysler Hemi V8 that breathes through four Weber 48 IDA carburetors and is mated to a four-speed manual transmission. Additional features include four-wheel disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, 16” Halibrand-style wheels, bucket seats upholstered in blue leather, and a wood-rimmed steering wheel. This C-4R continuation is now offered in Naperville, Illinois, with a Montana title describing it as a 1952 CUNN C4R.
Designed by G. Briggs Weaver, the C-4R was introduced for the 1952 racing season as a shorter, lighter evolution of Briggs Cunningham’s C-2. The three original chassis comprised two roadsters and a coupe, with the former claiming the first class wins for a US manufacturer at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1952 and 1954 along with an overall win at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1953.
Creation of a C-4R continuation platform was initiated in 1993 by marque enthusiast Larry Black, who gained approval from the Cunningham family, including a financial partnership with Briggs Cunningham III. A single prototype was completed in 1997 and underwent track testing with original Cunningham team drivers John Fitch and Phil Walters at the wheel. Beginning with this example, three production chassis were delivered before the prototype was retired from promotional duty and sold as the fourth chassis.
Construction incorporates a steel-tube frame finished in olive drab beneath riveted aluminum bodywork finished in white with blue Le Mans stripes. Features include a cylindrical oil cooler housing mounted atop the cowl, Lucas driving lights inset into the bodywork, a louvered hood bulge, leather hood retention straps, louvered fenders and rocker panels, a single windscreen, a driver-side mirror, vented rear fins, a Monza-style fuel filler cap, and dual side-exit exhaust outlets.
Halibrand-style alloy wheels are secured by three-eared knock-offs and are wrapped in 7.00-16 Englebert tires. While the original C-4Rs were equipped with finned drum brakes, the continuation chassis were available with Wilwood ventilated disc brakes as utilized on this example. A proportioning valve can be adjusted via a knob inside the cockpit.
The cockpit houses a pair of fixed-back bucket seats amid interior panels finished in olive drab and bare aluminum floor pans. Features include blue lap belts, a double-bend shifter, a faired-in rearview mirror, and an electrical cut-off switch.
The split-wood-rimmed steering wheel sits ahead of a crinkle-finished dashboard fascia housing a Waltham clock and Stewart-Warner instrumentation including a 160-mph speedometer, an 8k-rpm tachometer, and gauges monitoring oil pressure, coolant temperature, voltage, fuel level, and oil temperature. The six-digit odometer shows 215 miles, approximately two of which have been added under current ownership.
The 331ci Chrysler FirePower extended-block V8 breathes through four Weber 48 IDA dual-throat carburetors with individual intake trumpets. An oil cooler is positioned inside the cylindrical housing atop the cowl.
Power is sent to the rear wheels by a New Process A-833 four-speed manual transmission that is linked to a Dodge 8.75” solid-axle rear end. Independent front suspension incorporates double wishbones and coil springs, while steering is via rack-and-pinion instead of the original C-4R model’s Dodge steering box setup.
A Cunningham Historic Motor Cars tag affixed to the firewall is stamped with chassis number R5220.
I'm a fan of the Shelby Cobra -- and even more so of this with an Early HEMI!
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