Its fastest lap of 4:26.0 was the quickest ever turned by a Cunningham entry at Le Mans, but it took ten seconds longer than the best lap of Ferrari’s latest 4.9-liter V-12.
Its fastest lap of 4:26.0 was the quickest ever turned by a Cunningham entry at Le Mans, but it took ten seconds longer than the best lap of Ferrari’s latest 4.9-liter V-12.
History

The Ferrari That Went American

The need for an engine sparked the purchase of a car by Briggs Cunningham. His 1954 racing season included the latest V-12 Ferrari, equipped with a unique braking system that circulated coolant through its shoes.

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Cunningham’s Mission to Build an American Sports Car

In retrospect, it’s no easy task to communicate what the Cunningham sports cars meant to car enthusiasts in America in the mid-20th century. America’s post-war autos were worthy enough, but sporting? Not at all. Not since the Auburn Speedsters and Cord 810s of the mid-1930s had American automakers produced cars that appealed to the person for whom driving was more than a way of trundling from point A to point B.

Seated in the Cunningham-Ferrari, Phil Walters awaits his turn in the 1954 Le Mans pre-race inspection. Having first raced there in 1950, he is no novice at this job.
Seated in the Cunningham-Ferrari, Phil Walters awaits his turn in the 1954 Le Mans pre-race inspection. Having first raced there in 1950, he is no novice at this job.

Thus, in 1951 the 48 states were galvanized by the news that the B. S. Cunningham Company of West Palm Beach, Florida would not only produce a new American sports car but would also race a team of three cars at Le Mans!

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Karl E. Ludvigsen is a journalist, author, and historian of the automotive industry and motorsports. Karl Ludvigsen is the author of the definitive history of Porsche. His Porsche history, Excellence was Expected, is considered to be a model of the researching and writing of the history of an auto company. Ludvigsen is an honorary member of the Vintage Sports Car Club of America and the Corvair Society of America. He is also a member of the council of the Historic Automobile Group.
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