Cunningham Register

T H E
R E G I S T E R
compi l e d
by
0. Bruce-Briggs
Revised Edition
January 1982
T h i s h i s t o r i c a l r e g i s t e r o f 'the mutanobller m a n u f a r t u r d by the Briggs 5 .
tunnlngham Can~anyof West Palm Beach, Florlda, durlng the period 1951-1955 was
undertaken because the compiler abtained s Cunnlngham (15443) and wished t o t r a c e
I t s h i s t o r y i n order t o locafe missing parts.
He s h o r t l y ran i n t o a dead end and
Hc
was o b l i g e d t o trace a l l Vignale Cunninghams to p i c k up the t r a i l e a r l i e r .
also became i n t r i g u e d w i t h the disputed question of how many Cunninghams were
made. While the p r i n c i p a l i n t e r e s t was i n t h e Vlgnale-bodied cars, i t was
e f f i c i e n t t o c o l l e c t i n f o r m t l o n on the others as we1 1.
BetduJ1 f i t t o r y records m r e n o t r v a i labla, Ir war necessary t o reconstruct
p r o d u c t i m series from Inspection o f e x i s t i n g cars, arrlers' records, ads,
p r l n t e d sources, and rumors. Every photograph and press r e p o r t had t o be
matched w i t h a car. Hence the elaborate d e t a i l contained hereln--fortunatelf
made p r a c t i c a l by t h e Small number o f Cunninghams.
the r e s a l t s af the research 6f f§?T-1979 were publlshed i n the o r i g i n a l
' t d l t l o n af t h i s register i n March 1980. Sincc that-time, factory records have
b e c m available.
Uhi l e the canpiler i s d e l i g h t e d - t o learn t h a t almost a l l o f
h i s t h e o r i t s were correct, there =re several important errors o f I n t e r p r e t a t i o n .
Also, haste t a canplete the r e g i s t e r bed t o numerous typographical F r r o r s . This
e d i t l e n completely supersedes the original.
.
The r e g f r t e r I s as accurate as can be, b u t several taveats are n t c t s s a t y :
lllt I s l a r g e l y based upon contemporary motor j o u r n a l i s m snd o r a l and w r i t t e n
.
accounts o f more than 25 years ago. There are e r r o r s and Inconsireenties i n the
f a c t o r y tecords
"Primary sources", t h a t i s , contemporary photograohs and
documents, have been preferred t o Journalism and t o personal r e c o l l e c t l m s .
Nevertheless, the m p a r i s m of the f a c t o r y records w i t h the recansrructiun o f
product ion s e r i e s from other s&rces assures accuracy on most important points.
.
Thls 1s s registerg, i t i s -not I h l s t a r y o f the Cunningham comoany, nor i i l
S t a technical t r e a t i s e on t h e deslgn of the Cunnlngham ears.
S u f f i c l e n t data
-re gathered t o v i s u a l l y i d e n t i f y cars end f i t them i n t o oroduction s e r i e s Hwever, some modest information about the components of the Vignale cars i s
included.
Almost every llvlng person named herefn has assisted the reglster i n s m
way.
I t would be tedious to l i s t them a l l .
must be glven
t o Nssrri Karl Ludvigsen af Ncw York and bat1
f o r o ~ e n i n gt h e l r
archives, t o Ht. Stanley Sedgwick o f Surrey r
and Yasuka
Tokunaga af Hew York f o r searching the garages o f Kensington f o r the missing CZR,
and t o Hr. Jams Toensing of Califbrnim f o r o b t a i n f n g access t o the f a c t o r y records.
For b r e v i t y the f o l lowing abbreviations a r e employed throughout :
BBB
BSC
CAH
Cco
LH
Homo
V
RtT
.
wb
WPB
the compiler
Briggs S. Cunningham
Cunningham Automobile Huscum, Costa *sa,
Briggs 5. Cunningham Co.
Le Mans 24-hour race
The Homo Corp. Lang I s l a n d City, NY
Road 15 Track ~ g a ine
z
Vignale
whet 1base
Cco factories a t Uest Palm Beach, Fla.
-
.
X
*
Cal.
..
..
.,
\
n ~ n tunknwn
f o l lowing r name I n d i c a w s k n m t o be deceasad
.
THE NUMBER OF CUNNINGHMS
The a v a i l a b i l l t y o f t h e - f a c t o r y records makes I t now p o s s i b l e t o o f f e r
a d e f i n i t i v e count of the total Cunningham production.
C-1
C-2
C-3
1
1
20
5
C4R 2
1
C5R
C6R
5 p a r t r rasbretr
Sports roadsters
Cunningham-bodied coupe
Cunnlngham-bodied c o n v e r t l b l e
Vignale-bodied coupes
Vlgnale-bodied c o n v e r t i b l e s
Sports roadsters
C 4 R K competition c w p e
Sports roadster
Sports roadster
.
--
TOTAL CARS
I n a d d i t i o n , about a dozen chassis were unbodied. See p. 24.
THE NUHBERING OF CUNNINGHAMS
Cco used several number s e r i e s ta l d e n t l f y cars:
.
.
comnonly-used
'Y. O m a n or 'inanufacturtrs ardet number. ' l T h l s was t h e most
Internal
For
number. Hawever, as shown cm page 9, n o t every V.rO. number was r ear.
example, r 2-speed r e a r a x l e p r o j e c t was assigned a W.O. number. Also, the
C 5 R and C b R d i d n o t receive W . 0 , numbers, c e r t a i n l y becruse the r a c i n g shop
was s e m r a t e d from t h e production shoo i n l a t e 52.
CusEOmtr vracr nunwsra.
mccouss rrmn7
wrgcr3 were a n c . 6 1 lea enw many u r n c r s
were reassigned these a r t disregarded I n t h i s r e g i s t e r .
Wignarc c a r numbers. Another s e r i e s was u s t d to keep t r a c k o f the Vignalebodied cars. These are in the Yignalc summary on p. !O.
SUMHARY OF HON-VIGNALE CAR5
-
SER
DISPOSITIOtt
FIRST RACEP
Lh 51 spare
LM June 51
retsihed by BSC
s o l d I n t e r n a t i o n a l Motors Nov 51 (Cameron)
bl
II
I
II
WtA
N/ A
.
. ,- -. .
-.,
sold K l c l n g l n n a l r t c 52
s o l d Kickhaefer Jan 52
%
lrldgehamptonfiay 52
W June 52
0t18ge p r a c t i c e 5-52
LM June 53
r e t a l ncd by b3t
s o l d b r a n Winter 34-55
s o l d b r a h e a r l y 53
s o l d Horan Winter 54-5
.
I
(XI
.. _ -
'
*
(Robbins)
VORK ORDER SERIES
c-3
c- 3
c-3
c- 3
c-3
c-3
c-3
C-4R
C-4RK
C- 3
damaged C-3 chass i s
c-3
ne W.0 nmbers
5319R C5R
(5320
C5R frame?)
(5321
C5R frame?)
5422
e4R
c-3
c-3
C-3 {cabriolet)
5234/5443
52 35
.
c-3
t-3
c-3
C-3
C-3
C-3
c-3
C-3
C-3
C-3
C-3
C-3
C63
C-f
[cabrldet)
(cabrioltt)
(cabriolet)
Icabr Falet)
chassis
chassis
chassis
chassis
{ex1 s t s )
chassis ( c x l r t s )
C-3 chassis (exists)
2-3 chassis (probably partial l y completed)
II
I
r
II
'a
.
11
II
I4
C-3 chassls Cfram j u s t begun)
$
*BODtZD CARS
-
independent + r e n t h us pension of Ford/
(-1.
Sports roadster.
t car.. 1Of ' wb.
Cad'lllac V-8 [stroked i''
mercury components w l t h C a d i l l r c r aright5 and brakes.
according t o m e Cco record).
de l i o n rear. Cadi I lac 3-speed manual gearbox.
WPB bodywork.
Curved glass windst e l d c u t down from US production c a r . Borrani
w i r e wheels.
W.O. 1. Ehgine 127 [probably :he l a s t d l g f t r af a 9 - d l g l t number) 51
The car was , f i r s t ! i c m . t o the public; IR the Spring of 51 p a i n t e d
white w i t h no bumpers.
I t was br4 ~ g h tt o LH S I as s spare and was t h e s u b j e c t of
a d r i v i n g bmprtssion by 'Pomcroy, 1 ~e *tor 8 Rug 51.
F i t c h raced I t a r the Ht.
Equlnox h i f l c l i m b b c t 51, 2nd ave 3 1 I, f i r s t s p o r t s car; n a o t h e r comper i t i a n
record I s known.
5101
registration.
By 67 i t had gained 5 W l Plymouth
p a i n t Job.
I t apetars mi the cove
i s phoEographed i n Aut&nobi_le Qua
The c
Automobile Connoisseur $4.
n w disolayed a t CAM.
r t a t l o n wagon bummrs and r m e t r l l l t blue
r o f Tar. H k a h i I 1 on Sports Cars ( 195 1 1 and
c e r l y v.5 d4 ( m i s i n d e n t i f i e d as 1 C-21 and
r has been continuously I n BSC hands and is
--
-
(Note: many sources describe these as C2Rs,
C-2.
Sports roadsters. 3 cars.
but the cars were s o l d and a r t de :ribed i n Cco r e t a r d s as Cm2s.) Speci f i c a t i m s
l i k e C-1, except d e t a i l modifJt8t ms for C h r y s l e r V-8, r e v i s e d bodywork w i t h
s i n g l e workable door.
The cars were b a r e l y completed fa
F l t c h c Walters CC4), 18th, 1 s t i
A t LM the e a r s had h r i c a n r a c i n
s t r a i g h t t u b u l a r bumpers; back i n
s t a t i o n wagon bumpers, 2-piece w i
m r e by Cco--Elkhart Lake: BSC &
F i t c h [1128), 1st--Watkins Glen:
I n both h e t i c a n sac
(155), 1st.
d i s k wheels,
LH. 51 : BSC C George H u n t m ( I 3 ) , crashed;
class; George Rand C Fred Wacker { I S ) , dnf.
colors, low p l e x i g l a s r windscreens, and
~ h c
States, they were f i t t e d w i t h Plymouth
dshlalds, and tops,
They were raced twice
a l t e r s (41231, 3rd; Wal t e r s ( # 1 2 4 ) , clnf;
BSC ( # S j ) 4th: F i t t h (R54), 2nd; Val t e r s
s the Val t e r s c a r had knockmoff Hal ibrand
,
The cars were ret;rntd t 6 WPB nhc s they were r e f u r b i s h e d and r e p a i n t e d and
the engines replaced.
I n Nov 51 hey were sold t o I n t e r n a t i o n a l Motors and
wnvoyed by road to Lei Angtles.
-
5102 U.Q. 2. O r l g l n a l engine 20-1 001.
.,
white.
red u p b l s t e w .
I n the Spring
who e n t c r t d i t I n the Palm
the c a r was cmned by Georc Camran of Cal
Another photo of che c a r a t a desert race
ring, races--Ph i 1 H i l l ( j 8 ) , d t
Springs
p r a c t i c e o r another race; the photo
shows i t w i t h #2; t h i s may be Pa:
I
de
brake
coop i n g vetit.
shows a d i n g under the passenger-
.
o f 52.
-
I n Aug 54 RtT W i l l i a m F. G e t t l s r f e r e d u t - 2 w i t h Carson top. He r c c a l b t h a t
l t was the ex-Cameron car, which c bought #ram X and s o l d t o r Washington
Belmont ~ m t o r sbf Cal. a l s o had
State Chrysler dealer ( w h o was ur raceable),
a w h i t e roadster i n the l a t e 50s
The continuous h i s t o r y of 5102 bt
r e c a l l f r m w h u n he bought It. I
who @ x t e n s i v e l y m o d i f i e d It, add
6-csrb manifold.
( I t is s a i d ttw
r e c a l l it.) B l a l r ' s e s t a t e s o l d
!Ins w i th n a p / 0 Roman o f Ca I , w6ro does nor
rca 59 he sold I t t o Clyde Blair* of C & l .
lg a r o l l b a r and f i t t i n g a new engine w i t h m
.
engine work was b y Z d e l b r w k , b u t he daes n o t
;I62 t o Thomas L. Pedersen o f Cal c i rca 66,
a
1
-
Peder$en added outsbde exhausts, replaced Its then Jaguar box w i t h a Borg-Warner
T-10, i n s t a l l e d o Halibrand quick-change r e a r end, and repainted the car frah
b r l g h t omnge to American r a c i n g colors. He ~ d v e f t l s e di t f o r s a l e I n RLT Juh
6 9 , photo. In the e a r l y 70s 'he s o l d i t a t an Automotive C t r s s l c s auctlon a t
Santa M n 1ca where i t war bought by the London dealers Warth C Arunde I 1 uho
exported It. I t may have passed through o t h e r hands rapidly--there i s a report
o f an auction a t Rarnailles--but i t c a m i n t o the possession of Charles
It was displayed o r raced a t Silverstone (C8) i n 74.
Nickerson of L i n t o l n s h i r c .
I n 75 i t was s o l d t o Joseph Nickerson o f Llncs., and In 79 was housed and d i s played a t the k u n e Motor Huseum, P t r t h s h i re, Scot land.
cI
-
,P
,&! h-
f.9
p
.-- - -4;
The engIne number (net o r i g i n a t ) i s 53-8-85323.
The car bears no s e r i a l numbers
whatever. The i d e n r i f i c a t i o n as 5102 i s by ellminatlon-as s h a l l be betai;led
i n the next e n t r i e s , i t cannot be 5 1 0 3 o r 5 1 0 4 , so i t must be 5102. Although
I t was sold w i t h w i r e h e e l s , k o records s t a t e st was f i t t e d w i t h Halibrands,
s t r o n g l y suggesttng t h a t i t was the car d r i v e n by U a l t c r s 8 t E l k h o r t and Watkins.
E l i m i n a t i o n a l s o gives t e n t a t i v e LM i d e n t t f i c a t i m - t a the t h t r cars, suggesting
t h a t t h i s i s the I S car.
- V b m , m + e - ( \ u 4 Qb-
5102 i s described i n (Thoroughbred'&)
rwp
*-
Classic Cars J u l 74, p l t t u r e s .
-
5103 U.O. 3. O r l g l n a l t n g l n e 20-1067.
m e t a l l i c blue.
red upholstery.
The purchaser o f t h e car from t n t c r n a t l o n a l Hotors I s unkmm.
It was displayed a t the 52 Los k g e l t s Hotorama.
I n the J u l 53 RST, John won Neumann
o f f e r e d a S f C-2 f o r sale; he r e c a l l s o n l y t h a t he was acting as agent f o r
In the Jun 54 RCT, R. H. Tibbets-of-Aaliuqubrque advertised
B a s i l Ptnzet.
a C-2 w i t h Carson top--this t o u l d n l t be 5102 or 5104, so i t mugt be 5103,
There i s a r e p o r t ef a b l u e Cunninhham toadster.seen a t the home of a mechanic
named S l r d t * I n Hemmorrd, Ind. i n the e a r l y 50s--most likely 5103 on a v i s i t .
-
-
The continuous h t s t a r y ef 5163 Ibeglns w l f h an ad by Roswcll @bore o f NH i n the dan 57
RCT, describing I t ss
CR-3 convertible, r e c e n t l y painted w h i t e and blue,
w i t h custom hard-top.
He s o l d I t to Sau! Fakturo, who moved i t t o F l a . , where
it parsed through 'several hands-John
Duncan, Orange Buick, 7ay Io r Motors, James
A. Uesley, fbn Hegemicr, p i c k i n g up a dark green p a i n t job *loti9 the way.
Hegemeier offered i t i n the New York Times Sn bh end sold It t o Oa!e Powers I n
65, whb sold i t i n 71 t o Joseph Pendergasc o f FFs. Parers restored the car for
Ptndergast i n 75, and Pendergast has displayed i t r n d faced i t in vintage
events. Powers f l t t e d a new engine, number unknown. The ref t a r a t ion included
a t u b u l a r bumper patterned a f t e r the LM f i t t i n g .
O f course, blue-and-whi te.
-
The evidence t h a t thlr Is 5103 I s conelu$lva: Hegemeirr used t h a t number; the
r e g i s t r a t i o n number I s 1067, obviously d e r i v e d from the e r i g i n a l engine; a tag
w i t h r 1t3" was found on the car by Powers; and trad1 t Ion has It t h a t the C-2
d r i v e n by BSC was knewn as "Mumber Three."
The car d r l v e n by BSC was r ~ p b r t e dt o have a t h i c k e r - r i m e d s t e e r i n g wheel
and a f i t t i n g f a r a crock on the spokes. t h i s car has a r i m c i r c m f e r e n c e o f
3 5#8", w h i It 5 1 0 2 ' ~I s 3 4". Therefore, t h l r i s the t a r d r i v e n by BSC a t
Elkhart and Uotkins and E S probably the C3 LH t a r .
This c a r was road-tested In Motor Trend Jm 52, i s phatagrrphtd I n Car Classfcr
Apr 77, and appears on a postcard o f the Long I s l a n d Automobile Museum.
5104 W.D. 4. b r f g i n s l t n g l n e 20-1050. bCsck. r e d upholstery. I n t h e Spring
1952, the c a r was
b y - l r r l n g Rebbins o f Cal. who entered
I n the Palm
of
med
it
Springs races ( # 6 9 ) , 5 t h o r 8th, Mccountr vary.
L a t e r t h a t year Robbins a l s o
ran a t L l k h a f t Lake 11181, f i n i s h e d way back i n t h e f i e l d , m d s t WatCTns Glen
( 1 ~ 1 0 2 ) runnifig we1 1 back I n pack when the race was stopped.
,
Robbins a l s o crashed the c a r I n r race I n t a l . , m d i t was so beat up t h a t h t
c o u l d n o t set1 I t when on c m s i g n m n t Ira I n t e r n a t i o n a l Hotors.
I t was brought
t o WPB I n t h e S u m r of 54 for an est imatc f o r r e p a i rs. Cco prevai l e d upon him
t o t r a d e i t Ifi f o r 5441, and t h e c a r was " r e t i redn--i .e. dest royed--according
t o several r e p o r t s .
By t l l m l n a t l o n , t h l s was the c a r d r l v e n by F i t c h I n U.S. events. According t o
54 Cco memo, t h i s was the car d r i v e n by F i t c h and Walters a t LM.
--
EI
C-3.
Cunningham-bodied.
- bodywork and ss noted.
Two cars.
S p e c i f i c a t i o n s 1Fke C-2, except f o r
5205
5. O r i g i n a l engine unkncun. 52 r e g i s t a r t l m .
green upholstery. f o l l d rear axle. v e e r - b a a s t e d c l u t c h .
V.O.
~ h r y s l e rb l u e p r i n t s i n d i c a t i n g s p e c l a ? m d i f i c a t l o n s .
Convertible. white.
The owner has
Probably Hal i b r a n d wheels.
Photos of UPB Sn the Fa11 af 5 t show an open c a r slrnilrr ta 5106X being constructed
between i t and 5206, t h e ehasrls d e s t i n e d f o r t h e f irsr: Y coupe, The p i o j e c t
was p u t aslde t o f i n l s h 5206X rwr Kiekhaefer's o r d e r and probably TO complete
the 52 lJl e n t r i e s .
I t was c o m p l t t t d l a t e r I n 52 and d e l i r e r e d C 6 i t s purchaser
Rusrell Kleinglnna, t h i n o f NJ and now o f F t r . , *a r z i l 1 m n s I t . Apart from
BSC's own cars, t h i s i s t h e only Cunningham s t i l l I n t h e hands o f t h e o r i g i n a l
mtr.
5266X. W.0. 6. Q t i g i n a l r n g l n t 20-1055. 52 t t g i $ t r a t l o n .
dark green w i t h green u p h a l ~ t c ~ .Frame m o d i f i e d to
Coupe.
Originally
f i t I n t e r n a l r a l l bar f o r
coupt bodywwk.
The ear was t o be b u i l t to a body design by A l e x i s de f a k h n o f fsky, b u t the execution f e l l f a r s h o r t of the conception. The c a r was purchased
whi le s t i l l under c a n s t t u c t i o n by Carl Kiekhaefer o f Wisc. and Fla.
R t T Jan 52
has photos O F t h e car b e i n g b u i l t . The completed c a r i s shown i n R&T Hay-Jun 52
and o t h e r contemporary magazines.
--
Keikhaefer took d e l i v e r y i n Jan 52. T o s a y that he was d i s $ a t i ; s f i e d w i t h t h e car
would be a considerable understatement. He favored Cco w i t h a d e t a i l e d
accounting of 12s Inadequacies, w i t h particular emphasis on the de Dion r e a r end,
which he described as unsafe. t h i s may be why no o t h e r road Cunninghams are
k n w n to have the a d v t r t i s e d de Dim o p t ian.
Almost Cmntdlsraly, Uiefchaefer traded the car back t o 2co f o r c r e d i t on 5206.
After some t l m i n Cco hands, f t was sold, probably a t the end o f 5 2 , t o George
S c h r a f f t of F l a . , *rho s o l d i t c i r c a 62 t o Elaine Oesmoreau o f New York, who s t i l l
had i t in 79.
The a r l g i n a l chrome $peat on the f l a n k 6 f the car MYhave been removed.
car 1s n w 'black. The present aarner has n o t p r o v l d e d more Information.
The
The odd serial number may be t x p l a l n e d t h i s way! Cto records show two cars
numbered 5206, poss l b l y because both were ordered by Klekhatfer, and someone
added the X t o t h i s one t o distinguish between them.
-
C4R. Sports racers. 3 cars. N o d i f i e d Chrysler engines.
100" wb.
Independent
f r o n t suspension. s a l i d r e a r a x l e . These were the most succes~fuC07 the Cco
race cars, campaigned for three seasons wl lth cont inuous bevs lopment , elpecla 11y
of induction. gearbox, and brakts. C4Rs present no i d e n t i f i c a t i o n problems,
except the minor one of whlch c a r won what. This i r s n e a r l y complete cmpetFa
t i o n record of the C4R roadsters I n Cto hands :
52
Bridgehrmptm. Val t e r s (115) dnf
U. BSCtSpeare ( d l ) 4th; FitchLGeorgc Rice ( I 3 1 d n f ; .(il was class winner.)
Thompson. F i t ~ h(lj) 2nd; BSC ( # I ) 3rd.
Elkhart Lake.
F i t c h ($3) 1 s t ; BSC ( R i ) 3rd.
Watkins Glen.
Beth cars, probably FiRch b BSC, race stepped
Scwegs-Tutnei.
F i t c h (7) 1 s t ; probably BSC?
53
MaeD111-Tampa.
.
-
Fa tch I#!) ISR:
Yabters ( 1 2 ) dnf.
Jebring.
Fi tchLWal t e t s ($57) 1st.
LM. BSCCSpear ( # I ) 7th. ( o t h e r car brought as spare.)
Rheirns. BSCtSherwood Johnson ( d l l ) 3rd.
Silverstone, Walters 4%2) dnf: BSC I#?)
dnf.
Thompson. Walters ( l 2 ) 1 s t .
Floyd Bennett. Walters ( K Z ) 1st: BSC?
Swega-Turner,
F i t c h ( 1 5 9 ) 2 n d ~BSC fa? ) 5th.
F i t c h a l s o won p r e l iminary race.
Hsrch-Riverside.
F i t c h (#15) 1st; BSC (#? ) 2nd.
54
HacDi I 1-Tarnpa. Walters (R2) 2nd. '
Sebrlng, BSCCJohnson ( I ?) dnf.
Hunter AF8. Johnson ( I 5 1 ) 3rd.
LH. BSttJohn Cordon Benett ( I F 5th;
)
SpeartJahnsan CA2) 3rd. c l a s s winner.
Lockbourne AFB. b o t h cars, BSC 6 Johnson, (Fs 67 b 681, out o f the running.
Watkins Glen. V a l t e r s ( # l B ] 1st; Johnson (#IS?) 1 .
a
-
5Zl6R. V.O. 14,
Constructed over
C4R s p o r t s roadster.
present englne R-5217.
"Number One"
the Winter uf 57-2, d l ~ p l s y e dfn Spring 52 I n a medium blue
c o l o r w i t h cgg-crate g r i l l and a n o s t r l l for t h e o i l c o o l e r an the passenger
side o f the g r l I ! . (see cover bf Nechanlx I l l u s t r a t e d J u l 52.1 A t Bridgehamptm
I n Hay It was blue8white w i t h hood a i r scoop cut back and e x t e r n a ? a i l cooler
on passenger s i d e of cowl. L i k e i t s mate, I t was f i t t e d w i t h S I A T A 4-speed
box i n 53 and 8 s h o r t e r W d bulge and detachable headrest i n 54.
,
This was t h e f a s t e r o f t h e hJo C4Sls, and r e p o r t e d l y not drtven by BSC , r e a t
l e a s t In the domestic races rbove, O t should be assumed t o be the ca r d r i v e n by
L
1
a
:
1
*L- , , I - .
- ~ . . r -..,-,
,r I rcn w r m a I L T T S .
unrorrunsrcty.
r n c Q n ~ ywavlous
t--.,
x rc,
r,
n,
sr ~ rreiscure
distinguishi n g the cars i s a s l i g h t f r o n t fender f l a r e on "Number Onel'which o n l y s h w s on
head-on photos: e , g . , k c h r w h , Americans r t LC Hans ( 5 2 , mFscaptloned 53) p. 61.
( I t may a l s o be t h a t "Number One" had 8 louvers on the l a v e r row on the paostngers i d e fender, w h i l e "Number Two" had 9 louvers.)
5216R i s c e r t a i n l y t h e Bridaehampton, LH 52C1, bnd LM 54 $ 1 car, and i s probably t h e LH 53 $1, Rheims e l l ,
and S i lverszone A2 car.
I t i s t h e car that BSC ran a t Daytona Beach time t r i a l s
I n 55The car has m h a y s been I n BSCs hands and 1s displayed a t CAH.
photos o f the c o l l e c t i o n and on a CAM postcard ( b e a r i n g I f ) .
I t appears I n
-
S217R.
25.
Except as noted,
W.O.
t 4 R sparto r o a d s t e r . Present engine R-5217. 'Wumber Two."
i d e n t i c a l taS216R. Constructed c a r t y 52. f l r s t appeared a t LH
t h a t year.
Repartedlr raced by BSC. Advertised f o r s a l e by )bms i n R t T Oct 5 4
w i t h photo of 53 S t b r i n g winner and I d e n t i f y i n g the c a r as 3 r d a t LH 34.
I t was s o l d t o Charles Horan, Jr. of
b Del,, who campaigned i t 1n fCC4 races
i n 55 and 56, h i m s e l f m d F r e d Wacktr d r i v i n g , including Watkins 55 ( ~ a c k e r )and
Waterbaro 56. ' With t h i * c a r r n d the CSR M r a n was 55 StCA class B mat i o n a l
champ, When the Uoran t o 1 l e c t i a n was broken up, 521 7 R was s o l d a t the 70
P a r k e - B t r n t t auction.
The cat6logue l d e n t i f l e s the c a r as t h e Sebring 52 [sic.)
winner, says i t has & OF (sic.) box, and contains a p h o t o of the engine W T t h the
4-Zenith l o g manifold.
5217R was b w g h t by the d e a l e r Tiny Gould of Pa., who
s o l d It to Warren Colefns 0f Rass., who s o l d i t t o H e n o f a u l k n e r of Mass., the
- , -.
1979 m e r .
A $ 7. + j L . / L,;
f
..-
v
C
.-,&
.-.*-
1 a*.
...- ,
.
,5218R. W.0. 26. C4RK s p o r t s cornpat i t ion coupe.
Present engine R-5218.
I t i s mechanical l y i d e n t i c a l t o C4R, except f o r m d i f i c a t i o n s necessary t o mount
bodywork designed by the aerodynamicFrt V. Kamn; supposedly the a n I y a u t o body
s c t u a l l y deslgned by Kamn. Cbmplctad Spring 52. Competition record i n Cco.
.
hands I n 52, almost complete:
Brldgehamptm. p t s c t iced, n o t raced.
LH. Val tcrstbuane C a r t e r (Y2) dnf.
Giants Despair h i 11 c l i m b . U a l t e r s I#?)
1st.
Convai r - A 1 lentown. W a f t e r r 1686) 1 s t .
Thompson. Walter$ ( # 2 ? ) 1 s t .
E l k h a r t take, V a l t e r s [#2) 2nd.
Watklns Glen; Val t e r s ( f 1 ) race cancel led.
Sowega-Turner,
pfobabily Walter$, number m d p o s i t l o n unknown.
A1 though 52 t8R was ~ o f dto M r a n b e f o r e the race, 1 t was e n t e r e d s t LM 53 as
p a r t o f Cco. team--MranGBenett, (13) 10th. Moran l a t e r campaigned the car
inc!udIng Sowega-Turner 53, 6 t h ; Hunter AFB 5 4 , 8th: Andrews AFB 5 4 ( 4 6 0 ) ;
Offutt-Omaha 5 4 (6781 1 s t i n Bm; F t . Pkerce 55 [#80),
It was a l s o e n t e r e d
somewhere as (nY81, p o ~ . s l b l y by b r a n a t Watkins 54. The b m w coupe was s o l d
w i t h the Horan c o l l e c t i o n at Park-Bernet I n 7 0 , bought by BSC, and d i s p l a y e d
a t CAM- I t I s photographed In many #laces, i n c l u d i n g a CAn. postcard.
CSR. Sports racers. !#2 cars. 3 Frames t o t a l . s o l l d t r o n r and r e a r axles.
bodywork from design by A i c h e l a t t i
(Detai l e d d e s c r t p t i o n of body c o n s t r u c t i o n
i n Speed Age Jun 53.)
?hrec chassis l a i d down i n Winter of 52-3.
.
5319R. n o W.6, number. CSR s p o r t s roadster. Presenr t n o i n e R-53193319R f i r s t appeared a t V1 53, W a l t t r s t F i t c h (#2) 3rd, c l a s s winner, best ~ c k
LR f i n i s h . Then raced a t Rheims 12-hour, W a l t t r s L F i t c h (R10).
F i t c h crashed
t h e car b a d l y - Accordlng t o some accounts, the car was u t t e r l y destroyed, b u t
a photo of t h e wreck s h w s the engine i n t a c t , and i t was I n s t a l l e d Fn m e o f
the C4Rs far 5 i h e r s t o n e .
Sources disagree rn t h e h e x t point: cithcf the frame ef 5319R was straightened,
o r the c a r war f e b u l l t around one a7 t h e o t h e r f remer. Since enalnes were swapped
around and the bodywork was d e m l l s h e d , the r e b u i l t c a r should r e a l l y be r new
car separate and d i s t l n c t from t h e o r i g i n a l I f the frame was changed. Nevcrtheless, t h e 25R(s] hasfhavt always been discussed as a s i n g l e car.
I
,
,
The r e b u i l t h m C5R was raced.by Cea. l a t e r i n 53: fawega-Turner, probably
V a l t e r s (C?) 3rd; March-Rivcrslde, 'Waiters ( I ? ] dnf: and maybe t l s c w h e r t . Romo
Corp. adverelsed t h e c a r f o r s a l e I n J
W Sep s Oct 54 ( w i t h ofit spare frame,
wtiich gives substance to t h e replaced frame story,)
&ran bought i t and
raced i t I n 55 and 56, i n c l u d i n g Vaterboro 56 and probably V a t k i n s S f ,
!t
was r u e t laned w i t h the r e s t o f t h e Horan c o l l e c t l b n i n
purchased By BSC,
and Is n m displayed a t CAM, photographed w i t h the c o l l e c t i o n , and the usual
CAH postcard,
-
Mote on page 3 t h a t 5319 i s n o t f n the p r i n c i p a l sequence o f Cco
s e r i a l numbers, b u t does fo616w the numbers a f the C 4 R racers5216,-17,-18.
Rote a l s o I n the next e n t r y f o l r a n i n g t h a t t h e C6R
was g i ven s e r ~ s lnwnbcr 5422, Therefore -20 ti -21 a r e missing from the
branch sequence o f r a c i n g c a t s e r i a l numbers. f h e mgst reasonable explanrt ion i s t h a t $320 & 5321 were meant t o be tht o t h e r t w o 25Rs. w h i c h were
never b u i l t - - o n e frame: probab'ly used t o r e b u i l d 5319; t h e o t h e r t o l d w i t h
i t , i n 54 and naJ r l t h i t a t CAM.
C6R. Sports racer. 1 bull t. 220 c. 1. b y e r b b r a k e ' ' O f f t n h a u s e P 4-cy l l nder
eng lne reduced t o t83 c. 1 . and converted t o run on gas01 iae.
Independent
f r o n t suspension, de Dion rear.
-
Described I n RCT Aug 58.
no W.0- number. C6R s p o r t s rbadster. Q r i g l n s l W f y engine had I
assigned by Cco. Completed e a r l y 55, raced unpainted a t Scbrlng 55,
BSCbJohnson?. (B37) dnf. A f t e r S t b r i n g the r a d i a t o r a i r i n t a k e was made
5422.
.
LICNALE-BOOIED CARS
C - 3 25 V i g n a l t cars; 20 coupes. 5 cabrlotets, The thassls were
WB and shipped t o T u r i n f o r bodies and returned t o New York f o r
erected I n
f i n a l prep
a t Hmo and/or WP8 before s a l e . Although C-3s a r t r e g i s t e r e d as 52, 53. and 5 4
c were I n p r o d u c t i o n only O yeat-and-a-half from J u l y 51 u n t i 1
mode 1:
Jan 5
l l e s a few months less--the fir&^ d e l i v e r y f r u n V i g n r l e i n
late
re l a s t about a year l a t e r . Durlng t h i s s h o r t p e r i o d there
was d ralrrrlumr r v r l o f chassis development fram the C-1 , C-2, and nm-Vignale
3
I t i s probable t h a t n o two C-3s a r e i d e n t i c a l I n every respect, b u t
many g e n e r a l i z a t i o n s can be made; these are l i s t e d t a ti mi^ r e p e t i t i o n I n the
I n d i v i d u a l car e n t r i e s f o l l w i n g .
a
b r l y cars had l n d u s t r l a l engines
Engine- A l l c a r $ had C h f y ~l t r "hemi+' V-6s.
l
a
t
e r cars had 52 engines w i t h e i g h t
w i t h r i x d i g i t numbers b e g i n n i n g 20-10.. ;
d f g i t numbers beginning 52-8-4..
except 5215 and 5223. Al l ears had the
4-Zenith carb Cunningham log manlfald, except 5208 and 5219 (stock 2-bbl) and
A l l known cars had dual exhausts and Cunningham water
5223 (stock 4-bbl').
o u t l e t s . 5211 and perhaps 5206 had h o t engines; a1 1 o t h e r s p h e r w i s e stock. A1 l
engines had chramcd v a l v e covers.
...
. .
SUMMARY OF VIGNALE-BOUIED CARS
--
PAINT
RAOIO 8
main
panel
. HEATER
F
F
16-52
lGcl k h a o f e r
cream
black
blue
F
F
a f t e r 3-53 t o r n e t t
b t l ga
green
green
F
F
before 1-55 S t u a r t
. blue
bleck
F
F
lZm52
F i nkcns taedt c r e w (dk) b4ue ( It)b lue
F
F
a f t e r 3-53 du Pont
9r t Y
blue
b lue
F
F
before 2-53 Burden
all
black
F
F
br m
black
1-53
Di ng ley
F
F
a f t e r 2-54 7
a l l bram/(all g t q )
F
F
aFter3-51 Ccrc1,S.A.
hlge
green
F
F
a f t e r 3-53 HcRac
a l l b t a l l l c ) blue
F
F
3-53
HInklc
gr W
maroon grey
C
c
a f t e r 3-53 Reed
(2-tone g n y 6 f e d )
shlpmcnt
6-53
D t u I lng
t b r m n land msraan~tnn)
o f t e r 16-53 BSC
d l
black
a f t e r 3-53 Wmd
brawn-----b 1ettc
a f t e r 3-53 nl l ]bank
( 1 t )green (dk ) g r e e n m f l r e @ n
a f t e r 5-53 Bass
(tan
black
blue)
a f t e r 5-53 Davld
a17
red
6-53
King
(all brcwster. green)
a f t e r 3-53 Greenspun
(dk)gr&en ( 1 t )green ( d k T i n t r r
before 9-53 Rockefe I l e r
aI1
msrm
a f t e r 3-53 Johnson
( I d g r e y m m (dk)grey
a f t e r 2-54 Rands
el 1
black
a f t e r 8-54 Rabblns
all
red
a f t e r 2-54 ~ u d I n g t m 7 9 W
nrarewn grey
SER WO V C14R A WO DATE SHIPPED TO V RETURNED NY DELlVEREO FIRST O W € R
--
5266 10 1
5207 11
5208 13
5209 12
5216 18
5211 19
5212 20
+(5213)21
5214 22
5215 23
5219 24
5220 27
(5221 2 8
5222 29
5223 30
5224 31
5225 32
5226 33
5227 34
5228 35
5229 36
5330 37
5231 38
5440 39
5441 40
5443 41
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
I0
11
12
13)
13
15 '
16
17
.
8-7-51
8-7-51
8-7-51
8-7-51
10-29-51
10-29-51
10-29-51
10-29-51
10-29-51
10-29-51
1-4-52
22
23
24
25
26
1-30-52
I-30-52
4-10-52
4-10-52
7-3-52
7-3-52
7-3-52
7-3-52
7-31-52
7-3 1-52
7-31-52
I
.
a
8-26-52
12-52
8-26-52
t
8-26-52
c
9-2 5-52
r
9-2 5-52
9-25-52
18
19
26
1 1-8-51
9-25-52
9-25-52
2-3-53
2-9-53
2-3-53
2-3-53
6-52
7-52
8-23-52
10-30-52
9-7-52
12-52
12-52
12-52
1-13-53
1-13-53
1-13-53
3-5-53
destroyed I n
3-5-53
e f t e r 3-53
1-13-53
3- 14-53
3-5- 53
3-543
after 3-53
3-24-53
3- 23-53
a f t e r 3-53
a f t e r 3-53
a f t e v 3-53
a f t e r 3-53
upper
f run
*renunbe red
5442
I
-
a m l d-54 tco c h a r t ,
d a t a I n ( ) added by 888
from o t h e r sources, a
cmnectlng line msns,the
i d r n t l c s l shade: n o l l n e
mans probab l y not.
.
Pcuer t r a i n . The f i r s t four car9 had C a d f l l a c 3-speed manual boxes; the
rema l n d e r hsd Chrys l e r FluidsTorqut uh i ts, except 5223m-Pmerf 1 i te. The
Cadi 1 lac-bax c a r s and 5212 C 5214 had "omt' c l u t c h cylinder, according t o
Cco. records; s l l the r e s t had U g n e r c l u t c h c y l lnder. A l l t e a r m d s w c e
stock Chryrler.
Probably f o r t h e reasan discussed under 5206X, no C-5s
were d e l i v e r e d w i t h t h e de Didn r e a r , although a t least 5206 & 5209 may
have been sent t a Vignsle w i t h t h a t f i t t i n g .
5206, 5208, 5212, 5215, s
5223 had 3.36 r e a r end; the r e s t had 3.54.
L
Front end.
5206 b 5209, and almost c e r t a i n l y 5203
5508, had a two-plcce
r t e e r l n g column w i t h a u n i v e r s a l J o f n t a t t h e f l r e w a l l l i k e the C-2s; every
subsequent car Inspected by 0BB has t h e universal Joint a t the s t e e r i n g box.
5206 and 5209, and probably 5208 had f r o n t suspension o f 51 Mercury wishbones
cunblned w i t h C a d i l l r c uprights; 5207 had Chrysler; t h e remainder had f u l l
51 Merc.
--
k a r ruspens ion. According to Cco, records : Shockr : "Ford Haubc"--5206,
5208, 5210, 5219 C 5442; Oriflsr--5207: a d j u s t a b l e Delecr--5219; "Houde 50-50"
keg $33--the r e s t .
--the remainder. Sprlngs: Wog 532--5206; "spec."--5209:
Brakes: 12" Cadlllac--5206: 11" Cad--5208; Chrysler--5207, 5212, 5215, 5219
6. 5222; 11" Merc--the r e s t .
A11 t h e Fluid-Torque cars had the stock transrnirsion brake, the others had the emergency brake accompanying t h e r e g u l a r brake,
emergency brake.
except 5207 which i s recorded as having a "Cunn
."
Chassls. The f l r s t t e n cars [ f n c l u d l n g 5442) had 105" ub; the rest had 107".
the long wb c a r s the two support s t r u t s l e a d i n g from the f r a t end up and
back to the ctmP a r t spaced r l d e r a p a r t than on t h e e a r l i e r cars; t h e r e may be
o t h e r d f f ferences as well, The Godl 11at-box c a r s h'ad "XI7 members.
(XI
.
h e e l s 6 t rcs. At 1 cars had 15" M r c except 5206--16" H a l tbrand mags, 520715" CWys l e r , 5208--~6" Borrani ri res. A1 ! Cars had 7.10X15 t i res except 5206
8 5208-7.00~16,
5207 t S214--&.00XlS,
5229--6.50X15.
Misc. Apparently a1 l cars had 20 gal, gar tank except 5206 ( 2 4 gal .) and 5214
(46 gal,)
Except far the f i r s t f o u r cars, a l l seem t o have C h r y s l t r emergency
brakc handle.
E a r l y cars had a knch ~t t h e f a r l e f t bottom corner of the dash;
l a t e r c a r s had n o t . A l l cars were f i t t e d w 1 t h s t r a p s t o secure t h e t l re.
A l l c a r s had luggage straps except 5206, 5214, 5225 6 5230 according t o Cco.
records. The f i t t i n g of radios and heaters are n o t e d on p. 10.
Pslnt.
O r i g i n a l paint Jobs as recorded by Cca. a r e d e t a i l e d on p. 10,
"Upper" m a n s t h e t o p p l u s the area above t h e chrome s t r i p t h a t surrounds
t h e c a r on t h e hood and rear deck. "Hai nt' means the remainder of the c a r
except ing t h e "pane I" o r notch m t h e s idc of t h e car.
5206 wb 10,
Engine
i s o f t e n c h a r a c t e r i z e d as "the
20-1004, s t i l l f i t t e d ,
53 r e g l s t r a r i m . T h i s e a r
pretoeype."
The c a r ISe a s i l y I d c n t l f t c d by
these features : 16" h e e l s a t i g i n a l l y f f e t e d wl th Dunlop t i r e s and a hub cap
w i t h r a d i a l vents (probably t t a l I a n - - i t appears on Contemporary customs) ;
'
bumper w i t h r i d g e on tm af each end; n o bumper guards; no &rant s t f l p
under door; curved s l d e w i n d m glass: no vent wind-; square checkered emblem
on Center of chrunc j u s t above g r i l l ; front. p e r k i n g l l g h t s immediately outside
o f g r i 11 as t n o r i g i n a l P l i c h c l a t t l sketch far t h e body deslgn: V badge Tacated
above r e a r of "Body by Y i g n r l e " g c r i p t an f l a n k s behind front wheels; "Cunningham" o e r l p t em hood. Chrunt windshield surround.
Coupe.
I
.
I n t e r l o r : f l o o r s h f f t ; 'T" emergency brake handle, l l k e l y Ford; add-on t u r n
sI9nal control; s p l i t f r o n t s t a t . The horn b u t t m has 8 cmpTe* hand-painted
design: a US flag, over r checkered f l s g , over a h o r i z o n t a l t r i c o l o r af two
red s t r i p e s b r r c k e t l n g a white s t r i p e t n s c r l b t d "Cunningham"--this b u t t o n
I n t e r l o r photo I n RBT Sep 52.
appears i n a1 l k n w n e a r l y V cars.
-
This 1s the most famous V Cunningham, on account of the wide c t r c u l a t i o n o f
the Cco. pub1 i c i t y photos taken o f it i n JuO 52 which appear I n a l m s t a1 1
p u b i i c a t f m s about the Cunningham endeavor.
I t war s o l d i n Oct 52 t o Kiekhaefcr (replacing 5206~). The c a r had been repainted yellaw-"bll'-ted when
K s o l d I t I n kt 54 t o Empire Motors o f Icwa, t h e formtr owner o f which does
not r e c a l l I t s disposition.
-
5206 was' crashed I n the mid-1950s and sold 8s salvage t o X & t o rebui l t and
dispIayed It a t a concours at E l k h s r t Lake I n 57 or 58 and s o l d i t t o James
Teensing of Hinn. He advertised i t In RLT J u l 59 and I n Jan 60 s o l d I t t o
J.V. Mods of Okla., the 79 w n e r .
The c a r appeared i n the e a r l y 60s f i l m
''State Fai rl' and was taken o f f the road c i r c a 62.
-
Wen bought by Woods, i t was b r m , which I t remalns.
Ir had a Corvette
s h i f t f i t t e d by Tanslng. Aeeerding t o T t h e gearbox was Ford; according t o
W I t was Corvette, presumably )-speed, but I t may hove been the o r i g i n a l '
Cadi Ilac.
I n any event, W s replaced it wl t h s 4-speed Dodge Eon. ~ & n sing had also added panellng t o the d o o r s t o simulate bucket seats. The car
a l s o has a non-orfglnal vent a i r sccnp I n f r o n t of the windshield. t h e car
lacks the normal m l r intake & l o t b e l w the g r i IF--this m y be o r i g l n a i er the
r e s u l t of the r e b u i l d of the 50s. The o r i g i n a l bumpers are missing, b o d s t
d e s c r i p ~ i o nor the hubcaps suggexts t h a t they are o r i g i n a l . O r i g i n a l H a l i W
o door m i r r o r .
brands s t i t l f i t t e d . Parking l l g h t lenses mat o r i g i n a l .
No s e r i a l numbers are an t h e cap, b u t t h e engine and external features dent i f y it. Somewhere along the l f n s , t h e o r i g i n a l 52 r e g i s t r a t i o n s l i p p e d t o 53.
5207 VD 11. Coupe. Engine 20-1012. s t i l l f i t t e d .
52 r e g i s t r a t i o n , This
car ir e x t e r n a l l y i d e n t i c a l t o 5206, w i t h these txceptlons: the f r o n t parking
l i g h t s a r e d i r e c t l y beneath the headlights, as ~ l ar l l subsequent cars; t h e V
badges a r e centered over the "Body by Vignate" r c a i p t on the flanks , as on a1 1
subsequent cars: the o r i g i n a l hubcaps were p l a i n chrome w i t h two small holes
I n the center f o r f i t t i n g a badge ( , l i k e l y l t a l i a n ) , No d e t a i l on t h e I n t c r i w
i s known, except hat i t has 8 floor s h i f t and d i v l d e d f r o n t s e a t - - i t i s presuw
ably l i k e 5206.
In the Fat1 at 52. 5207 was Ulsplayed- a t t h e artf ford Auto Show, accompanied
atkins and t o E l k h a r t Lake, where I t won some s o r t o f
d was photographed by Alexandre Georges in 8 park near .
5 appear i n several p u b l i c a t i m s by John Weelock Freeman,
apurEs c a r nlvlnla, Sports Cars. A u t o r m r t Review k c 52, Esquire Jun 55.
The
same photos are i n the catalogue o f the Museum o f Modern A r t "Ten Autmobi lcs"
e x h i b i t i o n o f Sep 53. but 5207 was not t h e c a r a c t u a l l y displayed (see 5230).
.
.
The c a r remained unsold u n t l 1 rbtcr Apr 53: Cto. records l n d l c a t e i t s s a l t
l a t e r t h a t year to or# "Cornett1l about whom nothlng f s known. The c m t inuous
h i s t o r y o f the c a r beglns 4 t h f t s purehase by t h e 80 m e r , t . L , Wilson of
1
.
fenn. frm Crrdy H l l l e r o f $,C. i n k c 56. W i l s o n be'licvts It came from F l a .
I t then had a f i t t l n g f o r t c u h g a t r a i l e r .
Wilson drove 5207 u n t i l he obtained
5219 i n 69. He d t d nor g f v s canpletc informat ion on t h e car. He says i t has
The bumpera ere not
grey l e a t h e r upholstery and I s p a i n t e d r e d and black.
o r i g i n a l . The car apparently I s l e f t o u t d m r s i n bad c o n d l t l m . The hood i s
jrmned; the engine number Is determined f r a n the r e g i s t r r t l m number, which I s
that o f t h e Cco. records af t h e engine number of 5207; together w i th t h e
e x t e r n a l features reported by Wblson, t h i s permits a p o s i t i v e i d e n t i f i c a t i o n .
-
5208
13.
probably 52.
Coupe. O r i g i n a l e n g I m 20-1044, replaced.
R e g i s t r r t lon unknwn,
External Ty i d e n t l c a l t o 5207, wF
l t h these except ions : waved
checkered f l a g badge on hood, as rn a1 1 subsequent cars; f 1-at s i d e windows w i t h
vent windcw, as on 111 subsequent cars; burnper guards, as on a l l subsequent
I n t e r l o r l i k e 5207-see photo In Thorouqhbred -ti Classlc Cars May 78.
cars.
WO
The c a r i s e a s i l y i d e n t i f l e d by I t s 3-tmc p a i n t rthemt.
It appeared I n the
US i n t h e F a l l o f 52 and i s phatagrsphed i n True's Autembi l e Yearbook I 3 and
Hano--see
i n t h e baekgraund o f a Lyons photo of BSC irr a C4R I n TonBarker, Sports Cars i n Color 'and Sedgwick, Cars I n Caior (mistakenly labeled
1953). I n these shots i t was f i t t e d w i t h what w i l l be c a l l e d "GandinI" hubcaps-these a r t I t a l i a n hubcaps constructed l l k e e post-Nader c e n t e r - l o c k wheel,
5 1 l q r and a chrane wheel d i s k
w i t h a threaded hub t h a t
secured t o t h e hub by a 1
rp c o n t a i n i n g a hexagon i n s e r t that i s
turned by wrench i n s c r l b t
m e d ) Candinl
Torino." .Hcwever,
' t h e c a r was f i t t e d w i t h k r n s r l r wm1rc r r r r c c l ~before I t was d e l i v e r e d t o i t s
f i r s t owner, Arthur 8. S t u a r t * o f Flr. end Nich.
'
-
In Jan 5J1 5268 W85 displayed at the Hehry Forb ,Museurn f p o r t s car shew, f f t t e d
w i t h an SCCA badge 4% the passenger s i d e OF t h e g r i l l . This i s a famous car
because of photos taken o f i t m that occasim--see Bond, Sports Cars i n k t l m
and Borgesm & Jaderquiat, Sports r C ~ a s s i cCars.
4n Feb 4933, 'the car was rsctd a t HacDi t 1-Tampa wlth s s p e c i a l CCQ. engine.
I t had suspension t r o u b l e i n p r a c t i c e (Ualters) and I n t h e race (Phi 1 S t i I t s ,
T h i s 1s the only k n m c a n p e t l t i o n appearance o f r C l j ,
dnf).
5208 was dlspCayed again a t t h e Jan 55 f o r d s p o r t s c a r s h w , then with whitewall tires.
It may then have been awned by W i l l i a m T m a o r smeonc e l s e conIn
nected w i t h Grat i o t Auto Supply o f Hich, The awnership then i s abscure.
any event, when Cco. was wound up and WB shut d w n i n 55, the car w e n t w l t h
54 t h r y s l e r engine modsurplus p a r t s t o T o n y O l i v e t o o f Tex, He i n s t a l l e d
i f i e d to 360 hp nnd had n c r f bar bumpers constructed o f r i f l e b a r r e l stock.
I n t h i s form, the car Is p i c t u r e d i n Hot- L i f e Jan 56, s t 1 I 1 w i t h t h e Borranis,
SCCA badge, and white-wal 1s snd was displayed a t a L a Angeles hot r o d show In
56. The c a r was then s o l d , t o whan not remembered, and I t s t r a i l disappears.
,
S e r i a l numbers are frm tco. records,
I s a purzlcmnt.
Uhy t h e WO number bs reversed w i t h 5209
5209 WO 12. tape. Engine 20-1047, s t f l l f i t t e d .
E x t e r i o r m d i n t e r i o r apparently l b c n t l c a l t o 5208.
52 r e g i s t r a t f a n .
Thlr i s t h e P a r i s S h w
car, based on t h i s evidence: Journalism r e p o r t s t h e Parts car as y e l l w and
blue, the e r i g i n a l c o l o r ef 5209 as s h a m I n Ccs. records and I t s Instrument
..
faces; photos of the P a r l s shw c a r s&m Hel l l n g s a i r cleaners w i t h d h d tolPIs ' .
as on t h i s car; the P a r i s show was e a r l y Q c t and 9209 teturned t o WY on 30 Oct 52.
.
I
5209 war apparently repainted blue and black before belng ,sold I n l a t e 52
t o John Finkenstaedt of Has5, He dlrplryeci I t a t
Boston auto shw I n k c
32. This car was road tested by fed Koopmm i n Car L i f e feb 54: 6-60. 6.85;
0-100, 11.01 ; standlng quarter, 17.55.
+
It was i e l d i R 64 to Harry Sefrlcd o f Conn. The car Is nau black and tan.
-5efried replaced the n a t u r a l p i g s k i n by black imitatCor, leather. It has a
Nopar 608 r a d i o cm a p l a t e added te the dash, r e p l a c i n g the w i g l n a t Ford
radio. Sefrcld rebut l t the engine w i t h parts obtoined frcm the break-up o f
SLSC1r ICanm. garage--cam, oversized valves, and 1t16" over pistons, He a l s o
Installed
non-originat gas gauge and SU gar heater.
Llncoln hubcaps.
-
_
m e car bears o plaque wl t h the W and engine numbers. The s e r i a l number i s
Inspected by BBB i n 79.
found i n the f i r s t asnerls papers and Cco. records.
Stra
-
WO 18, C o u p e .
Engine 52-8-8717, s t i l l r i t t e d .
54 registration.
Exterior l i k e 5208, Cncept hubcaps, described l a t e r , 8nd probably no
chrcma wFndsh1sld surround.
I n t e r t o r l l k e t a r l l e r cars, except f o r w i n ~ s
on horn buttm, column s h i f t , and F l u i d Drive s e l e c t o r quadrant o r i g i n a l l y
f i t t e d . F i r s t car w i t h suspensian modified by k d Bytm. steeri'ng column
universa l qt steering boxl and Fluid-Torque transm9sr lm.
.
-
5210 1s 8 famous c a r because I t was used Far some rim as r Cco. demmstrator
k d f a c t o r y hack.
It was desetibcd and photagraphed i n k c h a n i x I l l u s t rated
kt 53 (but not the e r r err the cwer--see 5227) and HcCahi 1 1 , The- Modern
Sports b r , and was road tested (by P h i l S t i l e s ! ) In Auto&
Hay 54.
-
*!lc
I n Cw. hands, I t had several d i f f e r e n t hubcaps? I n m?d-53 and ptabsbly
o r i g i n a l t y l l k e 5206, l a t e r Gandini, and Ilkell) a l s o rantthing t h a t I d s l i k e
It was probably s a i d w i t h the Chrys l e r Sarbtogas n w Fi t t t d ,
( n r y s l e r Imperial.
and i t i s a l s o probable t h a t the F l u i d Drivc s e l e c t o f was removed and the o r i g i n a l 5206-tyoc horn buttan was replaced by the l a t e r waved f l a g buttan now f l t tcd before i t s s a l e t o Edmund du Pant o f D e l , I n l a t e r 53.
Scp 60.
Soon t h e r e a f t e r I t
h ?ontLs agent H.C. V t t n m * advertCsed 1 t I n
was given t o Wilmington A u t m b i l e k t l v l t l e s , Inc., a hot rod club, which
sold i t ea George Sterner o f Pa. cSrca 62, By t h i s time the o r i g i n a l bumpers
had disappeared and the o r i g l n a l grey ~ n d
blue had been reoalnted blue and white.
Sterner f i t t t d w i r e wheels but removed them before r e 1 l i n g the car t o the V i n Oawid A. DeubDe ef e l l . bought I t In July 67, Painted
tage Car Store i n Jun 66.
I t i n American r a t i n g colorc, rnd l a s t the seats.
He s a l d i t i n l a t e 7 5 t o A.
Vail Frost, then o f 111. and ncw o f N.C. uha was r e s t o r i n g i t i n 79.
the fl rewafl.
The s e r i a l number i s on an aluminum plaque
1s consistent w i t h Cco. records f o r t h i s car.
The engine number
VO 19.
--5211
t o 5210, w i t h
Coupe. Engine 20-1008,. a t e l l f i t t e d .
52 r e g i s t r a t i o n . l d e n t l c a l
.
these exceptlolls: f i r s t known u r w i t h round min6r instruments,
w i t h t u r n signal' b u i It I n t o s c t t r i n g t o l u m , w i t h chranc rub s t r i p under door,
and w i t h U l r y s l e r p i s t o l g r l p emergency brake handle. 5206-type horn button.
Apparently no ash t r a y .
..I
.
I
.
-
..
fhc o r l g t n s l buyer, V l l l l a m A. Burden o f NY, a r d e r c d a c m p r t h t n s 9 v e s e t o f
h i g h performance cnglne m d i f i c a t i m s .
Papers w i t h the c a r a l s o I n d i c a t e an
w t s lde spot 1 i g h t , not nOn on the car.
Burden s o l d i t i n Aug 53 t o L.C.
Leeds of NJ who s o l d it b e f w e 62 t o John P a o l a n t m i o o f NJ (see a l s o 5231).
H e n Inspected by aBB In 79, 5211 was s t l l l t h e o r i g i n a l b l a c k i n s i d e and o u t ,
w i t h red l e a t h e r upholstery, and the o r l g i n a l V bumper.
It had whl t r w a l Is and
p l a i n hub caps, n o t L i n c o l n or C h r y s l t r , o f unknown a r l g l n end provenPnce. I t
was f i t t e d w i t h H a l l o r y Magspark, a device to Fock r h e hydrautFc brakes, and a
Hicfcock Chargicator.
It was beginning a mechanical and cosmetic r e s t o r a t i o n .
This i s the f i r s t known car w i t h t h e brass plaque on the firewall--'W.0.
SER 52 11"
.
19
--
5212 WO 20. Coupe. O r i g i n a l engine 52-8-10238, replaced.
The o r i g l n a l owner was Henr'y D i n g l t y of Fla. and Me.
ti rca
52 r c g l r t r a t i o n .
56, h e had the
-
car n - e n g i n $ d , as descrfbed i n h i s a d I n RbT Apr S f , "New 340 'hp 3008 Chrysler
engine. McCu! loch supercharger wl th specFa 1 b u i 1t a!uminum pressure box 6 2
four b a r r e l c a r b u r e t o r s w i t h e x t e r n a l adjustmtnts.
Heavy d u t y 0-W transmissim with o v e r d r i v e . Custom i n s t a l l a t i o n by B i 1 1 F r l c k &tors.
Ounlop RS
t i res.
heater, radio, s p e c i a l a v e r d r i v e 6 supercharger c a n e r o h , e t c l w
Dingley does n o t r e c a l l *e bought it. What i s o b v i o u s l y t h e same car i s
advettised i n RST Apr 60 by R.H. Featherstme lo? Chito, Cal.
-
The w n t l n u o u s hfseary of the car begins w i t h i t s s a l e In 60 by Ace Sperts
Car Center of Oakland t o Dan Erbetg, who was t o l d t h a t i t was being sold far
an A i r Force major.
12 was then black.
Esberg disassembled the ear snd l e f t
I t i r t r body shop w h i l e h e was in Asia.
The body shop w n e r d i e d and the car
dirappeared and was r e p o r t e d as s t o l e n ta CAH.
I t came i n t o the hands of X
who s o l d i t t o E r i c Jewett who s o l d i t to Jack Castor. Esbcrg heard of the ,car
and reelmimed I t , s e l l i n g I t c l r c a 78 t a S a y Oppenheimer.
.
bppenhtimer was u m F l l i n g t o d i s t u r b t h e wrappings of the p a r t s of S i l t tcr
a s s i s t 8 comptete survey of I t s features.
Horrcuer, he d l d i n d i c a t e t h a t i t
had a 5206-type horn button, which i d e n t i f i e s i t as an e a r l y car, and t h a t i t
had special supercharger and o v e r d r i v e c o n t r o l s and a 3-speed box, which. w i t h
the e v i d e n t t of t h e proximity o f Chic0 t o Oakland, 1s s u f f i c i e n t to i d e n t i f y
i t as t h e Dingley car.
The r c g i s t r a t i m year i s from t h e Featherstone ad.
The cur bears a plaque f d e n t i f y f n g i t as a 57 VatkSns Glen p a r t i c i p a n t . t h e
Glen records have been destroyed, b u t the former general manager r e c a l l s no
C-3 ever racelng there. However, there i s a snapshot o f a C-3 coupe I n a parade
o f c l a s s i c cars through t h e v i l l a g e of Uatklns Glen, s a i d to be 54 o r 55, b u t
The t a p Is t a n and brolin ( D i n ~ l e y ' sc a l a r r ) , has vent windcws ,
perhaps l a r e r .
Jaguar Nk V I I frmt bumper, L i n c o l n hub caps, and w t s i d e m i r r o r s on both f r o n t
fenders.
(This i s l i k e l y n o t 5222 because t h a t cap had the m i r r o r s much f a r t h e r
farward.)
Since the WatkFns Glen Grand P r i x was i n t h e F a l l , t h e awner was
probably the purchaser f r a n Dingley.
Opvenheimer had t h e c a r under restoratSon I n 79 and r e p o r t e d l y a f f e r e d I t for
sale i n 81. !t apoeared a t Laguns S t e l in 81.
-
(5213) renumbered 5442.
s t e belcw.
5214 WO 22. C w p e . O r i g i n a l engine 20-1039.
Probably 53 r e g i s t r a t i o n .
Factory recards I a y htavy duty r t a b i l C z e r , w i n d s h i e l d r a s h e r , hood s t r a p s ,
and brake a i r scoops. A f o r t y g a l l o n gas tank I s mentlmed Tn several places.
The car was ordered by Antonio Chopi t e a of Lama, Peru, and was d e l l v e r e d t o
[ l n c . ) , presumably h i s empany. Queries t o Peru have received no
Cerci, S.A.
response.
The Vintage Car S t o r e dimly m c a l l s belng i n v o l v e d I n t h e shipment OF r
Cunningham From South P m e r i t r t o England, h
&
.r d
s
. That's a l l we k n w of 5214.
,.
s t i l l fitted.
53 r e g i s t r a t i o n . A l l
w n e r was Fleyd ReRae* mf Ga. His h e l r s
s o l d i t to H a r r r h e l r c a 72. When Harrah o b t a i n e d 5227, 5215 was s o l d a t auct i o n c i r c a 75 t o T e r r y Bennett of Mass. and Saudi Arabia, who s t o r e d I t i n Cal.
u n t i 1 l a t e 78 when I t was t r a n s f e r r e d t o storage Cn Mass.
Coupe. Engine 53-8-1086.
5215 WO 23.
.
s p e c r f l c a t i o n s l i k e 5211. The o r i g i n a l
Uhen inspected by BBH iim 7 3 , it war ft t t e d wCth Z e n l t h wSrc wheel5 ,as s h a m i n
the catalogue o f t h e Harrah auction, a n m - o r i g i n a l r e a r bumper af u n k n o ~ n
o r i g i n (probably a fareign car of t h e 30s). Lucas frmt p a r k i n p l i g h t s , and had
r a t h e r tacky t a n upholstery.
Bennett advertised 5213 i n Hemninqs mid-79, s e l l i n g i t t o T a n Smi-th of NJ d o was r e s t o r i n g i t a t l a s t n o t i c e .
T h i s i s the o n l y Cunnlngham f l t r a d wTth a Sf e n g l n t - t h a t
the l a s t bur d i g i t s
af the s e r i a l number begin 10.. suggests t h a t t h i s was a contlnuatiion of
O l ~ s l e r ' si n d u s t r i u b engine s e r i e s . The car has n o s t r 5 a l plaque,
The s e r i a l
5215 1s s t i l l t h e o r i g i n a l m t t a l l l c blue.
number I s t n t h e owner's papers.
These were
C4Rs described above.
5219 VO 24.
Cwpe.
O r i g i n a l engine 52-8-41414, replaced. 53 r e g i s t r a t i o n .
This was t h e f i r s t 107" wb t a r .
The o r i g i n a l m e r was Jack Hinkle of Kan.
He r e f i t t e d I t w i t h Chrysler engine #542-8-1948? w i t h 2 4-bbl Carter carbs
He s o l d t h e c a r t o X* wfio moved t o Ind.
and Halibrand knack-off d l b k h e e l s .
(The o r i g i n a l engine was g i v e n t o F l q d Hendrlcksan*.vf c a l m )
7
he next k n m m n e r 1s t h e dealer Sake m n z k 6f Ind, [who s l r s had chassis)
who s o l d i t t o John bclernater of Ind. circa 64, who s o l d I t t o Bayd Keyes of
Ohio c i r c a 65. At t h i s t i m e , I t was white and s t f 11 had t h e o r l g i n a l Y bumpcts.
.
Kcyes a d v e r t l s e d 5219 i n HemMinq~Aug b S ~ P68, r e 1 l i n g It l a t e t h a t year t o
T.L. Ui Ison of Tenn. (see a l s o 5207)
r t i 1 1 had I t I n 79. W i Iran t e p e r t s
t h a t the car is s t i 11 white, has polJcr brakes, waved f l a g h o r n b u t t m , missing
s handle an t h e dash.
. .
heater ahd hood hold-ups, and has a ~ ~ t c r i o u"T"
The car has n o r e r l s l plaque.
I t Cs f t 9 k N t r t d by t h e o r l g l n s l tnqSne number.
I t lacks luggage straps. as Indicated i n Cco. records.
5220
27.
registratlm.
Coupe. O r i g l n r l engine 52*6-43244, repvactd. Probably 53
Cco. records sholr t h i s t o be the f i r s t c a r w i t h Hopar r a d i o
He had a Chevand heater. The c a r was s o l d t o Lawrence 5. Reed of Tcx.
r o l t t V-8 w r t h a i r c m d l r i o n i n g f l t t e d and gave t h e a r l g i n a l C h r y r l e r t o a
Catholic lchool for a shap p r o j e c t .
WO
He s o l d the car i n t h e late 50s t e t h e dealer Vendel I Hawkins of Tea., who
remains untraceable. Reed r e c a l l s t h a t HawkFns s o l d 5220 t o a Houston
mechanic. There t h e t r a i 1 end. A l l s e r i a l numbers a r e from Cco. records.
-
(5221 W) Z8)r T h i s was
and returned unbbdltd.
i t i o n i s unknown.
8
chsssls t h a t was damaged i n shipment t o Vignalc
I t s dispos-
I t was f l t t e d w i t h engine 52-8-41029.
5221 UCJ 29. k p e . Engfnc 52-8-&2333, s t i l l f l t t i d .
53 r e g i s t r a t i o n .
It war purdbaled by W e r t W. b u l ing* of NY and passed t o h i s daughter Mrs.
Ruth Bruun of MY I n 73.
I t was l a s t r e g i s t e r e d i n 71.
Cc6. records a r e ambiguous about tho a r l g f n a l color. The instruments I r e
brawn end maroan. According t a e contemporary w i t n e s s D w l T n g would n o t
It Is nar b l a c k w i t h t a n Insets,
eccept the car f r u n Hano In those colors.
but the low q u a l i t y o f the p a i n t Job I n d l e a t e s t h a t I t c o u l d n o t have been
done by o r f o r Homo.
Dcwling had much work done on t h l r t a r , martly by H u m :
d Lucss windshield wiper6- w i t h t h e motor i n t h e englnc cmpartment ;
the v e a k ,
urlusur~
I e r engine water a u t l e t ; Jaguar Hk VII bumpers f r o n t and r e a r ;
y = ~ a l s :back-up F i g h t s w i t c h a t s t e e r i n g column end o f s h i f t linkage
instead of usual transmission l o c a t i o n ; unusual r o u t i n g of p l u g wires on l e f t hand rocker arm e w e r ; 6 v M o t o r o l a urmcter; 120 b a t t e r y w i t h center tap;
second r m t e r under dash: r e d l i g h t in p l a c e o f s t a r t e r button.
When examlned by BBE! In 79, 5222 was l a c k l n g t h e hnntngham s c r i p t on the
trunk, had a b r d t e n s i r scoop t r i m , had p l a i n conical hub caps, and was i n
need of a cosmctrc tesL6ratton.
It 8 I s e had t w i n m i r p o r s on t h e fenders, but
much f a r t h e r f o w a r d than those rn t h e V a t k i n r Glen c a r i d e n t i f i e d as 5212.
The c a r has the b e r ' l r ( plaque and t h e w n e r has t s p e c l a l l y copious documentation.
-
5223 W 30, toupc. O r i g i n a l l y sold with tngFne 542-8-1979, s t i l l f i t t e d . 54
registration.
Carnpl~tcTy stock 54 C h ~ s l e tengine w i t h 2 b b l carb and P o w e r f l i t e
automatic tranrmissian operated by srandsrd F l u i d Drive s h i f t l e v e r w i ~ hno
s e l e c t o r quadrant. Ha C l u t c h pedal. Bendia hydrovac p w a brake booster a t
tang shroud on r a d i a t o r . E l e c t r i e windars
l e f t r e a r o f engine c m p a r t m n t .
(the o n l y car so equippdd, ac-rdlng
tq Cco records:
This car war Intended to be a f a t t o w demonstrater, which m y e x p l a i n why 'Its
. .
chassis was shipped t o V l a t e r than than i t s s e r i a l n u m b c ~would suggestbecause p r d ~ e t l o nwas aa delayed, p r l o r i t y had t o be g i v e n t o curturrers' cars.
.
According t o Cea. records, I t was t o % e f i t t e d w i t h englne 52-8-41479, Cadi l l s c
A Cco. memo of Ocr 53 shars the ear a t WPB w i th
transmiss!on, and bucket seats.
t h i s f l a w , "Pressure cm c l u t c h pedal t o o heavy, D i f f i c u l t t o engage reverse,
This suggests t h e Cad box was in t h e y r r r t h a t t i n e .
s t a r t i n g from cold."
-
A t r m l a t e r time, 5223 was r c f l t r t d wllth t h e 5 4 engine and trbnsmisstan and
i t I s l i s t e d I n Cca- recatds Cs s o l d t o BSC. The car i s photographed i n an
a r t i c l e about t h e BSC c o l l e c t i o n i n Conn. i n The Motor 23 Jan 57.
BSC gave t h e
car t e h i s daughter, Hrs. Stewart 8. HcKTnney of Conn.
--
Vhen examined by 800 i n 78, t h e c a r appeared t e be empletcry a r l g l n a l , i n c l u d i n g
the p a i n t , except far phoney knock-off w i r e wheel hub caps b e a r i n g the emblem "R"
--apparently Buick Rivlcra.
The t o p of t h e dash Is p a i n t e d dull bTaek.
5223 has t h e brass s e r i a l number plaque.
5224 VO 31, h p e . Engine 52-8-41421, s t l l l f i t t e d . 53 reglstrati;an. The
f
m n a l wner was # e w ~ I l ' V o d ~ r oPa.
Glenn €. Sheppard bought ir ftm the
dealer P e r r y FFna* .of MY i n 53 or 54 m d drave I t to-C81. where Ft has probably
remained since. D r i v l n g l m p r e s s i m s of 5224 by ddrn R. Bond were oublished i n
It
RLT &r 55, end3heppard mffer t h e Car f o r s a l e i n t h a t and t h e May issues.
was bought by J l y k m t . The c a r seems to have been solid maroon, w e n the headl i g h t rims, In Lconc's hands and then had r a d i a l l y vented phoney knock-off hub
Leone a d v e r t i s e d
Caps.
The cav won cmcburs I n 55 a t Oak tho1 l and Sacramento.
I t I n X T Feb & Hay 56 and s o l d i t t o a d o c t o r / d e n t i s t i n B u r l l n g a m , who i s
untraceable.
-
5224 drops out of r i g h t for a dozen years, f e a ~ p e a r l n ga t a Berkeley auctFon
transformed i n t o &n e r s a t z F t r r a r i , complete w i t h egg-crate g r i 11 , Cunningham
badges s c r i p n c d and r e p l a c d by F e r r a r i , o r i g i n a l bumpers teplaced by what
-appear t o be Jaguar XK1140,. Lucas running l i g h t s , "Body by V i g n a l t " s c r i r l t
gmt, pseudo-Ferrari r l r cleaners hung on t h e s i d e of t h e engine, horn b u t t o n
gone, and even an I t d l i a n lFcense p l a t e hung on t h e f r o n t . A Corvette 4-speed
rep laced t h e Fluid-Torqut, t h e h o d chrane war p a i n t e d over, and therle was a
d r i v e r - c o n t r o l l e d s w i t c h f o r the brake 1 ights. Tach sender I n e n g i n t canoartment.
A t t h e Berkeley auctlcn, t h e car was bought by B3C and I t Ir dlspleycd a t CAn.
H e n examined by BBB i n 78 and 81, i t was p r i n t e d m e t a l l i e b t u e and s i l v e r and
s t i l l had the Leme hub caps and dash c o n c o u t ~plaques won b y h i m . The man n e t
and ha1 f the luggage s t r a p s were missing. CPM s t r i p p e d t h e F e r r a r i badges end
p u t a waved Cunningham f l a g badge en the hood, and r e u p h o l s t e r t d the i n t e r i o r .
On t h e dash, o f u n k n m provenance, a r e a BARC badge and t h i s plaque:
0-60 6.2 see
0-166 15.4 sec
147 CWR
CASTE LBUSANO
5224 i s p l c t u r e d In AutamobI l e Connotsseur I 4 and moraughbtkd
Feb 80.
6 Classic Cars
I t bears the standard brass s e r i a l plaque.
5225 U6 32 . Convert I b l t .
Although It has t h e lowest
Englna 52-8-41409. s t [ I1 f l tted. 59 r e g l s t r a t i a n .
s e r i a l number, 5225 i s probably not t h e f i r s t canvcrtible.
C o n temporary j o u r n a l 1 sm r e p o r t s t h a t t h e f i r s t convert Tblc was d i s p l a y e d
a t Geneva, and t h a t c a r , as we sha t 1 see, was 5229. Ceo. records suggest that
It nay be t h a t t h l s car was begun as a coupe and
5225-was Intended as a coupe,
convertible I n response t o the r e v i s e d tco. order.
transformed fncw
#
'
*
Factory records I d e n t i f y t h e f i r s t m e t
The ~ W l hll4'26ry
y
of 5225 18 s o o t t y .
In the
as "Hi I 1bank"**a check w i t h
R i Ilbbnk fami l y of WY was f r u i t less.
There i s a snapshot of what m u s t k
mid-50s. the c a r was seen d r i v i n g in NYC.
t h i s c a r I n a parking l o t a t Uatklno Glen I n 53 o r 5 4 - - i t had Gandini hubcaps
and em unusual bumper resembl i n g t h a t of a l a n c i a Aurel i a GT. Another report
i s of a beat-UP c o n v e r t i b l e seen a t R e c k e f e l l e r Center i n the l a t e 50s--this
could o n l y be 5225.
fi
-
the c a r disappears u n t i l 1964when I t was shipped from Hamburg t o T e x a s by
H. S l u y t e r of Germany and Texas. The car was r u p p m e d l y obtained I n Austria.
It had Gandinl hubcaps, was misslng t h e f r o n t bumper, and had nun-s t r n d a r d
parking l i g h t s , Sluyter s t o r e d 5225 in Texas u n t i l 79 when he s o l d i t t o
,
John Lee o f ?ex. who began a r e r t o r a t I o n i n 8t.
-
5225 has t h e brass s e r i a l plaque.
5226
VO 33. Cwpe. O r i g i n a l engine j2-41h]2.
Probably 53 r e g l s t r s t l m ,
Factory records say the f i r s t &ne r was "Bass".
The on a y informat i an & b u r
t h i s c a r i s f r a n Cco. records--there i s no o t h e r t r a c e o f i t .
I...'-
I
d
-
i.;.
5227
VO 34. Coupe. Engine 52-8-41417, s t 1 11 f l t t e d .
53 r a g i s c r r t l a h . '.
This t a r was- ~ i v e ns ~ p e c l a cl a m e t i c prep a t #fl and 1s t h e cat- shown on
l a n i x I l l u s t r a t e d Oct 53 ( t a n d l n i hubeaps) and a Cco. pubI 2 was d i s p l a y e d a t the Sf DC a u t a shcw
[ t h r y s l e r -hubcaps).
I t was d r i v e n t o 4an Francisco, displayed a t t h e Palace
mllu
i Q V i 1 liam 8. David. A o entered I t a t a Pebble Beach concours.
winning a p r i z e , 5227 1s s h a m a t pebble Beach i n 54 or 55 i n True's ~ u t c m o b i i e
,An I n t e r i o r shot
I n another True
Yearbook R5 (wh 1 te-wa 11s , Cand in i hubcaps).
s t o r y , c e r t a i n l y taken .at t h e same t ime (both phorm by Rolofson) c l e a r l y
s n p m crle .rpcrarw c ~ s a rp ~ s s r l rK I I W ~ v l r r c a a t WP0.
I n t h e l a t e 50s. David
sold t h e car t o Hugh Hener of Cal., whose daughter crashed i t ,
I.
-
The Insurance tbnpany sold 5227 t o Paul b n , who r e s t o r e d I t as a b l a c k and
Rawn s l s o owned 5442, and m y have t r k e n p a r t s fran i t as needed,
red car.
e s p e c i b l l y the windshield.
The car was s o l d t o Harold Hove andlor Herbert
b a r b , who bankrolled t h e c a n p l e t i m o f the r e s t o r a t i o n . The Car won a p r i z e
cannot be many cars t h a t
i n a Pebble Beach concours o f the l a t e 60s-there
It was s o l d t o Marrah'r c o l l e c t i o n
have won PB as o r i g i n a l and as restored,
*
mi
i n 75 and has been displayed t h e r e since.
+J.J #
:
',
f+
,.
Wen examined by BBB I n 82, 5227 was b l a c k and ted w i t h t h e c l e a r p l a s t i c knobs
It had a 4-spetd Corvette box f l t t e d f o r Hove/Hward.
and ~ r i g l n a bumpers,
l
n o n - o r i g i n a l p a r k i n g llght lenses, 12v b a t t e r y w l t h center tap. n o n - o r i g i n a l
push b u t t o n on l e f t side of dash, "Cunningham" s c r i p t missfng frm trunk,
e x t r a - l a r g e waved f l a g badger f r o n t and rear, missing map n e t , missing f r o n t
bumper guards, ,Auto Club o f HI I a n 'badges on f l a n k s , and mysterious meta 1
gadgets m t h e "armrests* i n t h e luggage cmpartmcnt behind t h e seats.
.
The s e r i a l plaque 1s midring.
engine number.
.
..
The c a r f s I d e n t l f l c d by Its h i s t a r y and i t s
.
. .
-
5328 WO 35. Cwpc. Lnglne 32-8-41416, s t i f l f i t t e d .
The f l rst owner was br. King*
NV. E a r l y oa he sold
bf
53 r e g i s t r a t i o n .
i t t o W i I l i d m Brewster*
of h n .
B r e m t e r ' s estate reld I t before 5 8 . James 5. Valukis af Mass.
bought I t f r u n FareIgn n o t o r s o f llass. I n e a r l y 5 8 , a d v e r t i s e d i t i n RbT Hov
5 8 , and s o l d I t to J a m s Q. Reynolds 6f h s s On Apt 60. Suretime before 6 0
I t gained Jaguar Hk V l l bumpers.
I t Is s t i l l i t s o t i g l n s l Brcuster green.
L i n c o l n hubcaps,
Valukls replaced t h e a r i p i n a l I t v e r shocks w i t h tubulars,
Reynolds has had t h e car t n storage since 63.
-
5228 has the s e r i a l plaque.
5229 WO 36.
. C m v e r t i b l e . Original engine 52-8-415%.
replaced, 53 regi s t r r t l m . This 1s the.Geneva shew car.
I t i s so i d e n r l f i e d i n k o . recerds.
Also, i n ,Aut&nubi'lt Connoisseur 14 .re two phatos ef-a V c o n v t r c l b ! e a t an
u n i d e n t i f i e d show. The background o f t h e e x t e r i o r shot I s a f l u t e d b a r r i e r
surmounted by a l a r g e "Cunningham" slgn; t h i s ' i b t h e s i g n used a t t h e 52
P a r i s s h w , b u t n o c e m e r t i b l e s were i q l c t e d by the 52 P a r i s shew and 11 I
ccmvertlbles were back I n t h e States before t h e next P a r i s shsr i n k t 53, so
t h i s shot must have been a t Geneva. The c a r shown has r 2-tone p a l n t job w i t h
dark upper and aanel l i k e 5229. and the I n t e r i o r shot r e v e a l s no r r d i o l i k e
the New Yark show car. The 53 Geneva s h w was 5-15 Har ; 5225 was returned t o
NY on 16 Rar, w h i l e SB? r e t u r n e d on 24 nar.
5229 was a t 5 0 the MY shew car. There were me s
h i n~NY I n
Square Garden f n Feb and a t Grand Central Palace i n bpr. The
Garden show l f s t s no Cco. w hum e x h i b i t , so t h e c m v e t t f b l c
displayed a t t h e AprFl shm, and 5219 returned f r u n Europe rn
53, a t Madlswl
program o f t h e
must have been
24 Har. Snapshots o f the NYC show t a r r e v e a l the 2-tone scheme described above and no
radio. Cca. recards 5 h w n o r a d i o f lt t e d to 5229.
It was h u g h t r l g h t a f t e r the shw by k n e trttnrpm of RJ who had I t repainted
w h i t e and s i l v e r .
Later he had Jaek Lnsley of Ind. f l t a McCulloch*supercharged
55 C a d i l l a c Eldorado engfne. H t a l s o rwltehed ta c h m n e w i r e wheels and had
Greenspun advert i l e d t h e c a r I n RLT Agr 57 and
Mano add e x t r a r e a r shocks.
s o l d i t t o a D t c Wallace af Fla., where i t has remained since.
-
-
It was a d v c r t t s a d I n RtT Ppr
Vat lace sald 5229 t a Charles AliIscm ctrca 58.
60 by a Mr. Paul, apoarently an agent f o r A l l i s m , and was bpught by bale
P w e r s (see a l s o 5103). By t h l s t i m e the c a r had h a r d uscage. An e a r l y 665
photo reveals t h e frmt bumper missing, one h c a d l l g h t rim m i s ~ l n gand the o t h e r
n o w o r i g i n a l , hubcaps nm-original, and a l i g h t p a i n t Job w i t h a s i n g l e dark
s t r i p e or, t h e hood.
Pmers replaced t h e Cad engine w i t h Chryr ler 1 5 8 11201 r n b T o r q u e f l i t c and
s o l d 5229 t o Stu Barnetzc i n t h e e a r l y 70s. By t h i s t i m e the c a r had l o s t the
larnette
Inner r i g h t Fender, t h e a i r duct from the g r l l l , and t h e dashboard.
obtained the dash frm 5446 and found a Cunningham man1 f o l d and carbs, He
began a cunpletc r e s t o r s t f a n and Seems t o have n e a r l y c m p l e t e d the j& b e f o r e
s e l l i n g the c a r t a W i l l i a m C. bardman of Fla. and He. i n e a r l y 8 0 . A p h o t o
o f the car about t h e tlme af t r a n s f e r rhws i t p a i n t e d 5 i ever and b l a c k , w i th
b o l t - o n w i r e wheels md what must be a r e e o n s t r u c i l o n of the a r l g f n a l bumper.
m
b
C-3 (cant.)
bardman d C ~ p l a y t d5229 at Sebring 31 and offered 1 t f o r r i l e Rarer that year.
The car has the brass s e r i a l plaque.
5230
-
.
WO 37.
Convertible. Engine 52-8-43236, s t i l l f i t t e d .
53 r e g i s t r a t i o n .
This car 1s unique bccause I t was bui It with + rear seat constructed so that one
p e r s m s i t s sideways behind the f r o n t passenger w i t h h i s Feet on the floorboard
behind the d r i v e r .
The car was s o l d by Hum t o N e l s o n A. Rackcfeller* of NY
m d passed t o h i s e s t a t e up- h i s death i n 79. For a long period o f t i m e , the
car was on loan t o h i s f r i e n d A l l s t o n b y e r * of Long !sland, who had s r o l e i n
the o r i g i n a l sale.
5230 was p a r t of the hseum of ttedern kt "Ten ht&l lest* cxh5'btt i n fep 53,
Although the r r t r l o g u e of the e x h i b i t has phatas 0 f ~ 5 2 6 7 , I d e n t t f y l n g the car as
a 52 wned by Cco., photos by5Georges i n Freeman, Spoyts Cars. p. 178 and i n BBB's
files s h m s c o n v e r t i b l e i n HOW'S courtyard. Other Georges p h o t a I n Esquire
May 55 reveal t h e car (mislabeled C-4) to be purple w i t h r tan tap, the colors
i t s t i l l bears..
m e n displayed 5230's t x t e r l o r war standard, w i t h whi t e r s l 1s mnd LCnceln hubcaps- Uhen Inspected by 080 i n 77 and 79, O t had Jag HK V 8 l bumpers, elaborate
rear wheel spats, en A. V.. h e n m l r r o r , the l e f t arm r e s t lowered ( k k e f e l l e r
It even
was abnormal l y rhert) and had k e n relprayed, but was otherwise o r l g i n a l
had the Jack i n Its o r i g i n a l boa {a Walker 120 V e r t l l l f t - - a c c o r d i n g t o WaILcr. 2
l a s t catalogued I n 49). 5230 has the brass s e r i a l plaque.
..lq'
.*'Gs. ,
.'
.
.
Z
5231 VO 38. Convertible.
Engine 52-8-41423, s t ; 1 l f i t t e d . Sf r e g i s t r a t i o n .
The w i g l n a l owner was Ben Johnson* OF Ind. , who f 1 t z t d Dayton w l re ckree 1s.
a Packard >-speed box w i t h overdriva, and s u b s t a n t i a l engine modificatiafis,
including m i l l e d heads, a r a c i n g Cam, and l o t s o f c h r a t . Nmve the Cunningham
s c r i p t an the t r u n k l i d a r e t i n y crossed flags, the l e f t f l a g a tiny block "Ct'
m a checker. the r i g h t f l a g r V badge an 'blue c r e 1 lcks quarters. presumably t h e
Vlgnale c o l w s .
Johnson s o l d i t scmetimc i n the 50s t o Jack S i Itr of Chio who
s o l d i t before 61 t o Jack J . Hay1 of Ohio who s o l d i t i n b ~ 62
r t o John Psolanconia of NJ (see a l s o 5211). When cwned by nay1 i t was grey, red, m d dark grey-probably the v r i g i n a l p a i n t Job, w i t h speed l i g h t s , now gone.
Uhen examlned by 600 I n 78, 5231. was repalntcb r i l v e t and black, had the
a r i g l n a l bumpers. was f i t t e d w i t h an Edmunds m a n i f o l d w i t h 2 4-bbl Carters,
c i r h e r by Johnson or Way!, w f t h stock Chryzlcr water o u t l e t , Bendix Hydrwac
power brake bob^ t e r under h o d l i k e 5223, tech sender under hood. nan-original
gas cank, e l e c t r i c fuel pump, probably AC, and backeup I f g h t s f i t t e d w i t h red
lenses to supplement t a i 1 l i g h t s .
5231 has the brass s e r i a l plrque,
52f4.
renumbered 5543
$235--5240.
see c h a s s i s and bastards, p. 24.
( f n Feb 54, four C-3s remained unsold.
G t r t s l n l y because the 52 s e r l a l numbers
might cause customer resistance, t h e cars u e r u g i v e n new r e r i a l numbers and new
plaques. )
'5440 (ex-5232)
WI! 39, Cotbe.. .Origlna 1 , engi nc 52:8-44983, r e p laced. Probably 5 4
h r e g i s t r r t i m a The o r i g i n a l m e r was W i 1 l i a m C. Rands of Fla. and Hich. who
sold 12 c i r c a 55 t o Hcward Giradin of Hi&- who r e p a i n t e d the o r i g i n a l b l a c k
t o red and f i t t e d a C h r y s l t r 300 engine wSth e Chevy, aransmisslon, probably
a Warner T-10.
t i r a t d i n o f f e r e d i t f o r s a l e i n RcT J u l & Sep 58, and s o l d i t
to samebrre he remembers only as "a young man f ran Syracuse . I '
7
Here t h e r e Is a gap I n t h e hiqstory o f 5440. This i s probably t h e r a t t y black-.
and-cream coupe . s p o t t e d c l r c a 65 i n Newport by t h e j o u r n a l i s t ' Rich Taylor.
In
the t a t e 60s t h e c a r was In Cann., then was awned by a Hr, F r e d e r i c k I n NJ, and
appeared i n r Qaeens j u n k y r t d *mere It was d i s c w e red by George dnt ia of MY.
The car was then i n very bad shape w l t h windshield, engine, and t r a n s missing.
but a f l o o r s h i f t llnkage remaining. p w e r uindcws,and e l e c t r i c f w l pum~,'probably n o t o r f g i n s l .
A n t l a put i n a late 50s Q I r y r l e r engine w l t h T w q u e f l i t e .
I n the e a r l y 70s. ( h t i a rwapped t h e car t o A l l Lugo aC Cmn. for 5441, b u t
r e t a i n e d several p a r t s including t h e l e f t Intrument c l u s t e r and t h e s e r i a l
number plaque.
Lugo t r a n s f e r r e d the dash and remaining 1 n s t r u m n t s and knobs t o
Barnette, the o r n e r o f 5229. tug0 advertised 5440 i n t h e New York T i m s i n
July 77 and s o l d I t t o Larry Tory 06 MY. ' Wen examined b y BBB i n 77 and 80, i t
was p a i n t e d cream w i t h b r c m t r i m end had a badly dented and r u s t e d body. Tary
ctcinlurrl
and r" r-r-.
n = l n...-t r r l + h A~a c a i m T ~ Na A w e r -t i.'-e ~ d
t h m PAF I n
1- I S C ~.,V Rn
.yr--..and i n Hemninqs tlar 60 and s o l d ,it a t t h e end of t h e v e s r t o b a n D i e t r i c h o f
Ill., who i s r e s t o r i n g i t . ;
..
"..
-.v-
-.-.----w
--. -----
...- '-. ... ..-. ...
-s.
-r
.
5440 i s mlssing t h e brass s e r i a l plaque, but 008 has seen i t I n Antis's hands.
5441 (ex-5233)
40.
O r i g i n a l l y equiped
. Canvertl ble.
Engine 52-3-43235, s t 1 k 1 f i t t e d .
54 t c i i s t r a
w i t h m leather-covered dash.
I t was h a r d ta s t 1 1 t h i s car.
I n the Summer o f 54, f t war displayed a t Mom, where i t probably gained i t s A.W.'
UO
Rosen o u t s i d e m i r r o r . When I t v i n g Robbins of Cal. apprbached Cco. about r e p a i r i n g
5104, i t was suggested t h a t he t r a d e I t i n far 5441. U h i It t h e r e 1s no d i r e c t
lcredl t to h i m f o r 8 trade-in, Cco
evidence t h a t he d i d so, Cco records s h w
employees r e c a l l t h e deal, m d 5441 shows up I n Cal. near Robbins hune a t Pa10
A1 t o SarnttFme before Sf, 5441 was displayed a t the Rebb l e Beach coneours.
See he?
Mar sf and flolmey 8 Damann, Encyclopedia af American Cars 1946-1959, ~ h c 0
c a r has Gandini hubcaps and the A.M. Roscn m i r r o r a t t h e very forward edge of
L a t e r snapshots sholr t h e same car progress'lvcly w i t h t h e
the door. 8s en 5441.
V bmpers replaced by Plymouth s t a t i o n wagon end t h e o r i g i n a l rrhecls and hubs
replaced 'by 14'' w i t h con 1 c a l hubcaps.
5441 was m n e d 1n the e a r l y 60s by &hmt MMarr a f Cat, I t was r d v t t t l r c d
w i t h photo by D. H. k G r c e v y of San Francisco i n R & t Hay 66.
Its e~t5nwus
h i s t o r y begins I n 66 h e n i t was bought fran Hampton, a d e a l e r i n E l C u r r i t o ,
by W i l l l a m C a t t e l l b e e a l s o 5442).
He s o l d i t c i r c a fO t o fhc dealer Stern
Haskel l o f MY, the put i t wt on cbnbignment to the YSntrge tar Stare, b u t i t
remained unsold.
It was s o l d at t h e K i r k %C t e a u c t i o n a t S t . David's, Pa, I n
71 t o X of NJ who s o l d i t t o A l i Lug0 of h n . who swapped i t ( f o r 5440 and cash)
t o George k r t l a , t h e n of #Y ncw of F l a , Betueen t h e a u c t i o n mnd h t 9 a t h t trossed
f l a g s an t h e trunk l i k e 5231 dlraooeared. A n t l a r e f i t t e d 15" wheels and Lincoln
hubcaps- The car uas s t i l l the o r i g i n a l red when examined by W S i n 77 and 80.
-
5441 has the brass s e r i a l plaque.
Hcrwcver, I t may be r e g i s t e r e d as 5440.
--
5442(ex-5213)
Vb 21. Coupe. Engine 52-8-10226, s t i I 1 f i t t e d . 54 Registration.
The e a r l y h i s t o r y ~f t h i s car Is e s p e t l a l l y i n t r a c t a b l e ,
Factory records shcw
I t returned t o UP0 i n Jan 53, but n o t avai l r b l e f o r s a l e u n t j l Jun.
Records
dated Sprlng 33 describe t h e c a r DS metal l i c grey w i t h grey i n t t r i e r t r i m . The
ear was s t i I T unsold w e l l i n t o 54 and CcO records a t t h a t time deserlbe i t 8 s
b r m w i t h f e d i n t e r l o r t r i m . T h t r t i s n o record o f the o r i g i h a l w n e r .
Tht k n m h i s t o r y of 5442 begins I n 6 4 h e n I t was crashed by a d e n t 1 s t m a w i f e ,
and s o l d by t h e f l r m r a n ' r Fund Insurance Corn t o H t H Auto wrecking o f k k l a n d ,
Cal., and then t o Paul Rawn, r h o a l s o m e d 5227 a t the t imc. I t was t h t n p a i n t e d
off-white,
Ramsald i t t o W i l l i a m C a t t t t l (see a l s o 5441) who s o l d St i n 74 t o
Dav'ld W i l l l s m , who d i d b complete restorareon i h c l u d i n g 8 new w i n d s h i e l d and
and ~ e c o n s t r u c t ~ oenf y . bumpers w l t h o u r bumper guards. Ui 1 Ii r o n , who s t f i w e d
body down t o w b a r e metal, r e p o r t s t h a t i t was o r i g i n a l l y white. The instrument
faces are red.
I n W i 1 11son's hands,
advertised f o r r i l e
The c a r I n p i c t u r e d
I t was d i s p l a y e d a t
the c a r wan r p r I r a at the 76 Sl lverado e o h c w r s mnd was
I n Old Cars 22 Hat 77, l i e m ~ n g rIn 76 & 77, b u t was unsold.
i n Car Classics
77 w i t h Lineeln hubcaps and w h i t e paint.
Laguna Seca i n 8.l and o f f e r e d f o r $ a l e i n Herrmings t h a t year.
5442 has t h e brass s e r i a l plaque.
5443bx-5234)
51,
Engine 52-8-42169, stl!F f i t t e d . 94 r e g l s t r a t i o n .
records do n o t l n d l c a t e the o r i g i n a l amer, b u t t h e m i s s t r o n g evidence
WO
Coupe.
Cco
'
t h a t he was F r i t z Cudingtan o f tha Bahamas and Ttx: S e v t r a l contacts I d e n t i f y
Ludingtcwr as an a r l g i n a l owner, t h e r e f o r e o f 5442 of 5443; h i s widad r e c a t l s
the car as t t d and white, c l o s e t o t h e o r i g i n a l red and grey; t h e l a t e 50s
amer, Seeman, +aid i t WJDS f rm Texas, t h e r t s i d e n c e of LudingtenSs ridow. She
recal lr i t s s a l e t o a dealer t n k s t P a l m Reach.
The d e f i n i t e h i s t o r y o f 5443 begins i n 58 d e n I t was r e g i s t e r e d by Fred Seeman*
of MY who s o l d i t c i r c a 63 t o his neighbor Charlrie Ba*, b u t canrlnued t o maintain
I
This I s t h e most thoroughly worked-over C-3.
I t was probably modifled I n
Texas In 56 and l a t e r by Seeman,
machinist. S t has a C h y s l e r 360 manifold w i t h
2 bbbl
c o n d i t i o n e r v-compressor takes the place o f the
generat
the engine war a huge Leece-Nevi lle a l t e r n a t o r ,
.ols i d e n t i c a l t o t h a t f i t t e d t o 5222 (he l i v e d
rep lace
near HQIHI.
B I I = ~ = I S r s y s r r s d fan. hyb p l a c i n g ,the fan f a r w e r forward.
-
C-3 (cont.)
G h e r m d l f i c a t l m s t o 5443 include: c u r t m p u l l e y s , anc s c r i b e d t1E.A.T.t8
w i t h 8 Jul 56 date; lnsu!ated f i r e w a l l ; remote l u b f l e a t i a n - f l t t i n g s f o r f r o n t
suspension and water pump; a d d i t i o n a l shrouding around r a d i a t o r and a.c.
r r d i s t o r ; s t a i n l e s s s t e e l exhaust system: e l e c t r i c fuer pump md f u e l f i l t e r ;
windand I n s i d e
k n d i x ltydrovac behind passenger s t a t ; ret rof l t t c d p-r
c o n t r o l s i d e m i r r o r ; Mercury s t a t i o n wagon bumpers; a i r horn; wind* washers.
k p a r c n t l y the c a r had r t r u n k a.c. candenser c h k h was replaced by an under
dash u n l t b u i l t i n t o
console w i t h L r a d i o speaker. .Speakers are r l s a i n
the "armrests" tw e i t h e r r ide 6f t h e luggage t r a y .
Sceman g i lded t h e g r i I 1
centelr and i n t e r i o r knobs and handles, i n s t a l led Marchall h e a d l i g h t s and
running l i g h t s , b u i l t l a r g e r t a i l l i g h t lenses, n d r c o n s r r u t e d an i l l m i a a m d
Inset Ilcense p l a t e frame.
When t h e car was i n Bow's hands, Seeman f i t t e d
h s e n knock-of f a l l oy whee 1s.
-
Bm s o l d 5443 circa 56, and I t passed through r e v e r s 1 hands I n c l u d i n g m a u c t i o n
t o Roaring 20s Cars o f HJ, f r m which i t was bought by BBB IR
77. A crude h o l e
had then been c u t I n t h e dash fw r tape-deck; t h i s has betn r e s t o r e d t o o r i g i n a l w i t h Hopar 608. The o r i g i n a l wheels and t a n d i n i hubcaps were r e t r i e v e d
frat B o r , and a11 missing p a r t s have been obtained.
.
.
I
5443 kas t h e brass s e r i a l plaque.
This Is the l a s t
C-3.
CHASSIS AND BASTARDS
The o r i g l n a l understanding betcrcen Cce and V was t h a t 50 C-3s would be p r o duced. T h e market c o u l d n o t absorb t h a t many cars, and w i t h t h e shipment of
f o u r chassis t o V i n Feb 53, p r o d u c t i o n was h a l t e d a t 26 ( i n c l u d i n g t h e chassls
Many chassis remained i n v a t l o u s stages o f c m p l e t i o n .
damaged in shipment).
The l i s t b e l w i s adapted from a Cco memo o f 2 Feb 53:
52 35
(52365
52 37
(5238)
5239
52 40
(5241)
(5242)
(5243)
(5244)
(5245)
42
90% canplete
"" ""
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
(5246)
(52473
53
(5248)
55
54
" "
80% "
70%"
; Irbur c o s t about %SO, m a t e r i a l cost about. $2156
.
; appranEmat+ly same,
1
. : i s
22% "
22% I'
22% "
maximum on any or these about $315 f o r l a b o r and
20% "
$370 f o r m a t e r i a l s c t o t a l $685.
90% i n w i l d i n
70%"
35%"
4 n [ ~ . ~ . estImatcs t h a t welding represents 20% o f
t o t a l S f 4 7 spent.
our man-hours o u t l a y bn c h r s s f s ) .I@ Red Byron?
*added by BBB
'
.."'
..
-
-. .
,.
. :. &
-
Chassis 6 Bastards (cont.)
Nothing i n t h e memo i.mplies t h a t these I S chassis Bra the total t h a t were
It i s possible t h a t another 16 p r o j e c t s were l.nlaIrted, but w r y
begun.
l i t t l e c o u l d have been achieved on WOs above 55.
Uhen VPB was broken up I n 55, unbodled e h a r s l s were removed i n a t l e a s t two
A lot of miscel laneous p a r t s went ( w i t h 5208) to Tmy 0 ) i r c t a of Tex.
batches.
I n c l u d i n g t h r e e or four engines end 12-14 frames, w i t h o u t suspensims and
motor mounts.
bl i v e t o s o l d these t o l o c a l hot-rodders, m n g whan u c r e Tiny
Hunoz* and Herman Klugc- These w w l d seem t o be the p a r t i a l l y begun chassis.
No attempt has been made to t r a c e them.
-
A secand batch went w i t h Jack-Shakespeare* t o +nd. A l l ar same o f these were
advertised i n PtT Jul 56 by H i l l t o p T r a l It* S a l t s o f Evansvi1lc; the p a r t n e r
o f the l a t e proprietor r e c a l l 9 about t h r e e o r four i f them. Sometime i n the
e a r l y 60s. a p a i r were owned by Jake Henz i e (see a I s 0 5219) r der l e r o f Warsaw
who has not answered h i s telephone f o r t h r e e years.
5235 WO 42
Ghwsts, bodied by 4anIey.
Engine mumber unknown,
55 r c ' y i s t r l e fan. John Han1ey.h o f Wise. bought t h i s chassis from H i 1 l t a p &Ad
had r s p e c i a l ,Wdy b u i l t on It i n t h e l a t e 50s.
C t was deslgned b y saneone fran
Brooks Stevens shop and was executed by Bob Jones of Indianapo!ls--a coupe w i t h
and a r e a r w r y
A C a d i l l a c box was I n s t a l l e d , probably r e p l a c i n g Fluid-Torque.
l i k e an Avanti.
r h e y Studebaker tw, r front end r a t h e r l i k e a Chrysler fOOC,
-
Fhe c a r was s o l d t o a doctor tn Black R i v e t Fa1 Is, W t s r . A f t e r h l s death, i t
was s o l d t o "a ycung man i n Pewaukee."
I n $0 or ;8l, It .was spotted i n a back
yard I n Peuaukee i n the possession of Charles G. Kinlev, who does n o t answer
..
. .
:
mi 1.
.
-.
.
u:
charsls, bcdled b y Knudscn. Lngtne 52-8-42336. certainly o r i g i n a l .
This i s another H i l l t o p car. Ralph Knudsen o f V i s e , was a
f r l e n d o f Wanley's, and the cars were b u i I t as a p a i r , but Knudsen's was hever
f i n i s h e d . He s o l d i t t o Henry Baske o f Calo. who t o l d I t t o Ed Lanning ~f b l o .
who a d v e r t t s e d i t I n Hemnings I n 77 and sold I t t o ham k h m n o f Cola. t h o
advert Ised i t I n Htmninqs i n k t 79 and Har 86 and RLT Har 80, sr a roadster.
I t has a C a d i l l a c transmission, r e t r o f i t t e d f o r Knudsen.
I n 80, i t was s o l d
t o Bud Buck af Cal., who brought I t t o laguna feca i n Aug 81. At t h a t time,
i t was a r o a d s t e r i n grey primer w i t h quad h e a d l i g h t s (the o r i g i n a l c m f i g u r rt5m) but w i t h the r e a r end m o d l f i e d t o be more l i k e a sports roadster
Cunningham, w i t h round Fbrd f a l c o n t a i l l i g h t s .
UO
55 r t g i s t r a t l o n .
-
-
X (probably 5236 or -38) s t r l a 1 and WO numbers unknom.
ChassIs.
Lnglne
-42343. probably o r l g i n e l .
This i.s almost c e r t a i n l y me o f the H i l l t o p cars.
I t mas b w g h t about 57 F r m Sunset Speed Center a t Maubstadt. near E v a n s v i l l e .
Graul i th. both o f lnd. Hamby .recai l r
58 t o b r r ~
Catt )en he w n e d It , but Craol i ch d a s not
s and c!nough of o tockpft t o d r l v e It, and says
2
%
52-
*
-
.
.
5239
WO 46. Chassis.
Engine'number u n k m , probably o r i g i n a l .
bas Tuttle
C2, but photos
o f Hichigan City, Ind., a d v e r t i s e d I s i n Old Cars c l r u 76 as
The t e x t o f the ads
w i t h the ads c l e a r l y s h w 8 C-3 w i t h the &-Zenith m k l f o l d .
I t I s not p o s s i b l e t o get consistent i n f o r indicates 107" wb and Fluld-Torque.
matian from T u t t l e , s o the f o l l c u i n g must be taken w i t h m g r a i n of s a l t . He
bought Lw chassls from Jake )(cnrie of Warsaw who g o t them f r u n "a dead r i c h
guy" who was a f t i e n d o f BSC--obviously Sack Shakespeare.
h e c h a s s i s was s o l d
t o 261; t h e o t h e r t o H I haukee, prabbbly t h i s m e , b u t this may be r confused
m m r y of the Knudsen o r Hanley bastards. The YO and SER numbers were reported.
by T u t t l e from t h e brass plaque.
5240 WO 47.
Chassis.
Engine 52-8-44975, probably o r i g i n a l .
Thls l s rn Mil l t o p
chassls, owned I n 78 by Richard S l g l e r of lnd.
He r e i o r t s i t as having t h e 4Zenith mani f o l d and F luldmTorque end a 105'' (probabty mismeasured) wb.
-
JZXX,
s e r i a l , WO, and engine number; u n k n m .
Chassis. 1 ' 1 s w u l d be t h e
other T u t ~ l thassls, i f i t kxists.
Support f o r i t s r e a l i t y i s g i v e n by the
p h o t m I n the T u t t l e ado, one of which c l e a r l y shws t h e cowl s t r u c t u r e , but
If t h i s i s t h e chassis t h a t went t o Cal.
t h e o t h e r stems not t o show a cowl.
It might be t h e me r e p o r t e d by t h e j o u r n a l i s t Rich T a y l o r t o have been advert i s e d i n a San Francisco n w s p e p e r ~ l r c a75.
7777 Hysreri6us bastard. Very l l t t l e r b w t t h i s c a r i s k n w n save t h a t
Is
Baulder, C a l k I n
i n the p a claimed t o
r Cunningham. This c a r
it
was in
30-1
be
sess ion o f ant k o t t Seamans, who does not answer m a i l w r e t u r n phme ca l l s .
This i s third-hand i n f o r m a t i o n about the car: Seamans assembled I t frm pieces
he bought from a r a c i n g d r i v e r who l l v e d i n Georgia.
It has a f i b e r g l a s s 2seater body, C h q s l c r herni probably w i t h 2 b b b l s , r n d 3-speed box. Seamans
made windshield frames, etc. I t has a l l o y wheels.
./.
lb;
+
a , , ! - 5..
I
- - : p
-
1
J
'
-
L
P??? HysterCms c h a ~ s l b . There e x i s t s a shapshot taken i n
of WB o f an
unbodied C-) chassis b a l f a s t e d frmt and r e a r and f i t t e d w i t h r a c i n g bucket
front
I t I s parked n e x t t o a V coupe
seats and a windscreen i n f r o n t of t h e d r i v e r .
painted l i g h t on the upper p a r t and a medium shade o r two medium shades rn the
( A p o s t w a r Frazer Hash was parked
r e s t o f the body--this i s m o s t l i k e l y 5210.
a t WB a t the same t i n e - )
The ~photographetn D o r t $ t h a t the shot was made I n Feb 53, most l i k e l y l a t e i n
the m n t h .
t h a t t h t l a s t C-3s bodied by Y were shipped t o V on
ore c o r r e c t (15 feb was a Sunday] and the photographer's
I5 Feb 53.
memory i s 96$
1 WJS
~
r g fears ~ 9 0 t )h ~
h i s a deep m y s t e v indeed. E i t h e r
d e v e l m m n t work continued on ane of t h e unbodied chassis (mast l i k e l y 5235) o r
there was f l d d l i n g w i t h the dropped chassis (5221).
4
7777 Hysterfous &ass l s record. Cte. records
57100, c m s l s t e n t w i t h o t h e r f a c t o r y estlmatcs of
shcn* 4,54 sale o f r chassts f o r .
t h e c o s t o f s C-f chassis.
6-f tourse, m e cannot b u t speculate ' .. .
Nothing e l s e 1s k n m of t h I S chassis.
t h a t i t Is the mysterious chassis de3crlbtd above.
.'
I..
, Chassis C Uastards (cant.)
Now t u r n back t o p. 24 and note t h a t 51n chassls were f a r enough
--
along I n
cmsrructil>n t o warrant being p a t e n t i a l l y used f e r o car, and remember that
we have c k a r proof of f i v e Indiana chasrls and s t r o n g a v f d t n t e o f a s l x t h .
l y process o f e l i m i n a t i o n , the mysterious r e c o r d 8nd t h e mystorlous chassis
'
'
must be t h c s r m c , r
This i s m r e p l a u s i b l e than a l t e r n a t i v e c o n s t r u c t i o n s o f the
data: the mysterious record cannot be the C4R o r CSR because Horan wrote l a t e r
t h a t he p a l d S15K f o r each; I t IS unlSkaly t o be t h e CZR swapped i n by Robbins
because of r e p o r t s of i t s d e s t r u c t i o n and a l s a because.the chassis of an e n t i r e
car traded I n for $1000 would n o t b r i n g $1100; r e p o r t s af a l m g mfreefibase C-f
are mlsremcmbran~es of a request t o V t o f i t h e a t e r b o d l o t o t h e 107" wb, t o
which he r e p l l e d t h a t he c w l d not accanplish.
Only t h e damaged chassis 5221
answers a11 problems.
-
--
LOOSE ENDS
These data c o u l d n o t be i d e n t i f i e d w i t h a car.
casual s i g h t i n g s .
Host o f them are rumors and
The mmer of 1228 f e p a r t r the cxt raardlnary coIncldencc a7 t w o o t h e r Cunninghams
CPpley Square 60-63.
parked w i t h h i s i n @ostm0.o
5209 was t h e m l y o t h e r c a r
kncun to be i n W e n England a t t h a t tire. Unless -one
was t o u r i n g f a r from
h e , the second car c o u l d only be 5440 or 5442.
-
1t has been suggested t h a t r James SSrnpson,
I f sa, 5442.
original wner.
an QSCA
d r i v e r o f t h e 50s, was an
A source I n Oakland remembers an o l d couple "En .the wal ley" h a v i n g a Cunningham
the ear Ty 70s. Perhaps 5224 but t h t h e t Im &mpressed i n r c c a l l e c t l m .
A dark b l u e c w p e was seen m the raed In southern Crl In t h e mld-70s.
haps 5215, 5224, or maybe 5208.
A "german s l l v e t " eaups was r e p o r t e d i n HJ c l r c a 77.
t i o n of 51143.
Pcr-
Perhaps a poor r c c o l l e c -
The same SbUrce r e p o r t s r Cunningham dCsplbyed a t a MY a u t a show c i r c a 71.
A Bob YounglYunglJung of W h a affertd a cwpe for s a l e I n 77.
In
78, t h e r e
was s a l d t s be
e car I n Phocnix, perhaps owned by a p i l o t .
There e x i s t s a 55 New Yerk r ' e g l r t r r t i c r r o f a coupe m t d by ~ a ' r o l dA.
of Lackawana (sic.)
T h i s Is c h v i o u s t y o barqery.
Smith
-
SUHMARY OF HISSING CARS
V coupe
5208
5214
5220
ans-
l a s t seen
wb
-
-remarks
L.A. 56
105 e a r l y d e t a i l i n g , n m - o r i g i n a l engine, no rub s t r i p , blue.
105 e a r l y d e t a i l i n g , &-gal tank. probably green.
Peru 53
Houston l a t e 50s 107 Chevy engine, a.c., maroa, 8 grey.
-.
Alsa missing or n o t p o s t t i v e l y I d e n t i f i e d are chassis 5221, B 5236, 5238, 6
I 1 p a r t i a l chassis past 5240.
104 was broken up.
No o t h e r Cunningham i s knarn t o be destroyed.
QUASI -CUNN I NGHAMS
--
N e i t h e r of these c a r s are s t r i c k l y speaking Cunninghams, but no a c c w n t i n g o f
t h e nmrque would be cunplcte w i t h o u t them:
.
Cadi 1 lac Special
"Le Hans t re". A 50 Cadi 1 lac w l th cng ine and uuspens la, modI f i e d by F r i e k - T a ~ p c tand an aerodvnarnic roadster body desigtied by Howard
It ran
c t a i l I n RGT kt SO.
car a t Watkins Gten 50. Api n BSC's'hands, and i s dis-
-
CAH I d e n t l f l e s t h i s ear 0% ma1950Cunnlngham" b u t 1 t bears a Frlck-Tappctt plaque
and i s i d e n t i f i e d as a C a d i l l a c i n the o f f i c i a l lJl h i s t o r y .
l'C~nntnqham-Ferrarlm'. h F r r r a r i j f S M (4.5) s o l d t o Hana and raced by Cco. a t
Sebring 54, WaltersCFitch, dnf. Then i t was e x t e n s i v e l y modifled, m o s t n o t a b l y
w i t h l i q u i d - c o o l e d brakes designed by the Sanford Ce. of Cmn. With these brakes
It ran a t Cn 54 WaltersTFitch (#6) dnf.
A t Ldcbaurne AFB Waliters (P3t) 2nd;
It may have a t least p r a c t i c e d a t E l k h r r t 54.
In
a t Uatkins BSC (120) dnf.
the US events t h e s p e c l r l brakes were probably not f i t t e d .
t h e s p e c i a l scoops for t h e brake c o o l i n g were removed and the car was s o l d t o
Sherwocd Jahndon who won t h e 55 'SCCA n a t l m a l championship w i t h It. H i s r t c o r d :
Akron Ocz 54 ( f 1 0 0 ) 2nd; March F i e l d Nov 54, 3rd; F o r t Worth 55, 1 s t ; F o r t P i e r c e
55, 1 s t ; Cumberland (Ytg?) 1st. Johnson s o l d I t t o Temple B u e l l o f C a l m wbo
entered I t i n s e v e r a l races including Dodge C i t y 56, Oabney Col l i n s of Calo.
Rumar has i t t h a t the n e x t Owner blew the engine and
was me of B u e l l ' s d r l v e r s .
t h a t the f o l l o w i n g o r n e r f i t t e d a Chevy V * 8 , The car I$untraceable.
According t o the Ftrtarl racjng c a r r t g l s t r s r , t h i s C a r Is 10400, sold t o Homo.
Sebring 54 was 7 flarch and F r ~ l d i c k ' dFarina l i s t s a date ef 25 Har, but Farina's
records a r e r a i d t a be n o t o r i o u s l y Inaccurate- The c a r 1% described i n a r t l c l e s
by Kurt Hiska i n Thoroughbred d CPassTe Cars 56 and i n r F t r r a r l c l u b magazine
of about t h e same date. Contemporary j o u r n a l ism wrongly labels t h i s c a r mtC6R''
The Ul o f f i c i a l h i s t o r y labels i t a " 3 4 0 ~ ~ "8, 1 ~ 0i n c o r r e c t l y .
and "C7RU.
-
NOTES FOR V l GNALE CWJNINGHCVI RE5TORLRS
This scrappy informati-
was gathered casually i n the course o f the ccmpi l a t i o n :
No tw C-3s are i d e n t i c a l . The p l e x i g l a s s parts l i s t describes most l a t e r cars.
Page 30 reproduces a packtng l l s t of parts sent La V. Carrozzeria Vlgnale has
l a g r i m e been swallorrcd by the De Tomaso combine which docs not answer mai I .
IdenFieal I n t e r l o r t r i m part9 appear on contemporary Y FerrarCs, V bumpers are
purely decarat lve; r t s t a r e r s should eensider the recomnended CGO r e t r o f i t of
c i r c a 51 Plymouth r t a t i w r wagon r e a r bumpers f i t t e d f r o n t and rear (but i t may
be necessary t o cut end wuld I n r center section on a t l e a s t the f rant bumper)
o r the Homo r e t r o f i t of Jaguar Hk V I 1 bumpers. S a c o u t s l d c door handles are
s eanplete Itmp around the hand when opened; others are a simple lever. If the
bodywork e x h i b i t s pTenti f u l Bondo, do not assume the c a r has been wrecked--such
was the uorkmanshIp i n t h e qoldcn age o f I t a l i a n c a m - a z t r i r .
The rear "Cunningham" s c r i p t s were hand-cut from brass; every one i s d i f f e r e n t .
51-53 O l r y s l e r engines are n e a r l y i d e n t i c a l ; 54 and l a t e r have d i f f e r e n t bet!
Rousing. Cco s o l d m n l f o l d s separately, some a r t our there; the l a t e r cmpetit i o n manifolds, not bearing Cunningham l e t t e r i n g , were C h r y s l r r made; somt are
mt there. H e l l l n g s s i r cltaners.
Use of the Cunningham m a n i f a l d requires on
extension and spacer f o r the distributor. Hajor e l e c t r i c s a r t stock Chrysler.
6 v o l t , p m i t i v e ground. The relays and sufh cm 5443 are k l c e . Viper motor
I s Chrysler. nost t a r s have s t o c k mechanical fuel pump. One r e s t o r e r says
Walker 21027 m u f f l e r s f i t .
The instruments are said t o be Stewart-Warner w i t h Y frees; I t may be possible
t o match them fran contemporary US cars. The t a c h m e t e r i s by Sun--the sender
Sun has none and has
unFt i s LR-1 or - l A and the receiver i s 2-331-17 o r RC-60,
na informatian an f t x l n g them. Uestrch OF Sonana, Cal., has a me-piece u n i t
I d e n t i c a l i n sCze and appearance t o the Sun r e c e i v t f , except t h a t the cutcout
B a t t e r i e s f o r t h e Sun a r t
f o r the f r e e i s round Instead of t h e Sun quadrant.
1-35 m l t ; a v a i l a b l e frun H a l l o r y and Eveready.
The bell-housing
2 0 f l t the CadTFlrc b o x 1% m elaborate F a b r l c a t l o n which would
be e n o m s l y expendive t o duplicate,
A l i t t l e study o f Chi I t o n ' s o r the Chryster
shop manual w i I 1 reveal the marve 1s o f the Fluid-Torque H-6 transmission. 8y
disconnecting the governor, the c a r w i l l stay I n 2nd end 4th, w i t h same engine
braking, and 1st end frd, w i t h freewheeling, aval l a b l e by k l c k - d w n o r the
button a t the end o f the s h i f t lever. The C-3s have r r e p u t a t l a For averheattng;
i t helps t o use t h e e l u t t h i n stop-and-go t r a f f i c because t h e torque converter
uses the engine o i l snd t r a n s f e r s heat t o the engine. Haking tbe phoney a i r
scoop f u n c t i m a l may a l s o help. Also t r y the stock ~Chryslerwater ~ l u m b i n g .
b the l a t e r cars, the s t e e r l n g box I s Ccmr. The u n l u e r r r l J o f n t I n the
steering column i s a mystery-It has a tapered h o l e a t e i t h e r end. The gas
tank Is a l s o sttengec-orre ex-Cco ernoloyte suggests f t may be a stock US c a r
top w i t h a custcm-made b o t c a , but p, 30 suggests t h a t i t i s a stock part.
-
rn
Parking bights are 5 1 akrc back-up l i g h t s . T a l l I l g h t s ere I t a b l n n , t f d e n t i f i e d
m l y by patent number, s u r e l y proptTttorIa1.
Back-up I l g h t s a r c on t i r c a 52
P m t l r c s and c u r r e n t Checkers. 50 Ford h c s d l l a h t rlms a r c said t o f i t .
Watch f o r rust bclew Prmt %urnper, under doors, and e s b e c l a l l y I n frmt of doors
a t bottun o f wrndshleld posts--you must enter v l a f r o n t fenders t o get a t I t .
There have been reports t h a t the r e a r lever shocks break I n hard use.
a
.