Briggs Cunningham had the life. For the 96 years that he lived on this planet, the wealthy sportsman did it all…sailed vessels, raced cars, built businesses, and lived well in the upper crust of society that he had been born into. Yes, he was a silver-spoon type, but he never rested. He worked, if only to stave off the boredom, but his products were winners and cars like the Cunningham C3 were testament to the man’s vision. Bodied by Vignale, powered by an early Chrysler Hemi and unrealistically expensive when new (approximately $15,000 in 1953 money, or about $140,000 today), the C3…all twenty-five of them…were special from birth until now. We say that because every last one of those 25 cars still exists on the planet. One, however, has been under the knife at Jay Leno’s shop getting worked over, and now, is ready to be seen in completed form. From it’s straightened body panels and trimwork to the Tremec five-speed manual that took the place of the two-speed semi-automatic, we fully understand why the Cunningham is a desired car. Check this one out!
I didn’t know a thing about these cars until today. Cool vid.