Offered through RM Sotheby’s Private Sales, this 1960 Chevrolet Corvette LM represents one of the most significant chapters in Corvette’s early competition history. Chassis 00867S103535 is one of three Corvettes prepared by Briggs Cunningham for the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, marking the model’s debut at the legendary endurance race. The car is currently presented with an asking price of $1.75 million.
The program was developed through an unofficial collaboration between Cunningham and Chevrolet engineering chief Zora Arkus-Duntov, at a time when General Motors was still publicly observing the Automobile Manufacturers Association’s racing ban. Purchased through a Chevrolet dealer rather than directly from the factory, the three Corvettes were specially ordered with close-ratio four-speed transmissions, Positraction differentials, heavy-duty suspension and brakes, and quick-ratio steering.
Cunningham’s race team manager Alfred Momo subsequently transformed the cars into endurance racers. The modifications included Halibrand magnesium wheels, Firestone racing tires, Koni competition dampers, an additional front sway bar, a high-capacity fuel tank, dual Bendix fuel pumps, side-exit exhaust and Stewart-Warner instrumentation. The standard engines were replaced by fuel-injected racing units developed by Arkus-Duntov’s engineering team.
Chassis 3535 was assigned race number 1 at Le Mans and was driven by Cunningham and Bill Kimberly. Before the race, the Corvette underwent extensive testing at Sebring, Daytona and Bridgehampton. During Le Mans testing, it recorded a 112.5-mph top speed and a 4:28.3 lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe, placing it remarkably close to contemporary Ferrari V-12 machinery.
Its competition career continued with the 12 Hours of Sebring before its eventual retirement from active racing. Following Le Mans, the race-damaged Corvette passed through several owners and underwent substantial cosmetic modifications, ultimately disappearing from public view for decades. It was later rediscovered and returned to its original Cunningham configuration.
The restoration, completed by Corvette racing specialist Kevin Mackay in 2023, meticulously recreates its 1960 Le Mans specification. The finished car was unveiled at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance alongside Cunningham’s other surviving Le Mans Corvettes.
Today, this Corvette stands as more than a rare competition car. It is a tangible link between Cunningham’s international racing ambitions and Arkus-Duntov’s development of America’s sports car, preserving the moment when the Corvette first challenged Europe’s established endurance-racing elite.
Source: RM Sotheby’s
