Yahoo Autos Restoring an Ultra-Rare Cunningham C3
Briggs Cunningham was a multi-millionaire back when millions were worth billions, and being a competitive spirit meant it didn't take long for him to get into racing. In 1950, he tried to score a win at Le Mans, going bold with a pair of Cadillacs. Two years later, he launched his own bespoke racing car, the Continental C3.
The C3's frame was built in Florida, then shipped to Italy for Vignale. The coachbuilder welded a hand-built aluminum and steel body to the Cunningham frame, after which the car went back to the States to get a Chrysler Hemi V8 engine. Unsurprisingly, the finished product ended up being hopelessly expensive, so much so that Briggs Cunningham only managed to sell 25 of his C3s.
Jay Leno's car was in fairly good condition, but that didn't stop his team of artisan mechanics from spending years restoring and upgrading it to better-than-new. The to-do list included a fresh tri-tone paint job, aluminum heads for the 331 cubic inch Hemi, a switch to a five-speed manual and the conversion of the electric system to 12V. Fed by a pair of four-barrel carburetors, the V8 now makes 360 horsepower at the wheels, up from the factory claimed 240.
Team Leno also machined new wheels to replace the C3's fragile magnesium ones, remade a huge portion of the brass trim, produced a custom air filter and relocated the fluid containers for easy access. The Mercury front suspension, drum brakes and Ford radio were retained, maintaining Cunningham's unique design tweaks. What a car, and what a team!
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