Autosport 70: a new American racer

27 April 1951

Autosport heralded the arrival of the new Cunningham sportscar this week in 1951. The 5.4-litre V8 machine, to be known as the C2-R, marked an American return to Le Mans.

“Twenty years have passed since an American sportscar, the Stutz Bearcat, competed in the great 24-hour race,” said Autosport. “It is with great interest that details have been awaited of the new cars which that great enthusiast Briggs S Cunningham announced that he would be producing to race at Le Mans.”

We were impressed with the overall modernity of the design and estimated that the race versions would produce “at least” 220bhp: “There is nothing of the hot-rod about the Cunningham. Its conception owes a great deal to European influence, and its V8 Chrysler engine is recognised as being a superb piece of engineering.

“Knowledgeable people have always maintained that American engineers could design and construct very fast cars that would be a match for anything built on this side of the Atlantic.”

The three-car entry failed at Le Mans that year (pictured), won by Jaguar’s new C-type, but subsequent Cunninghams would be increasingly competitive. The C4-R won the 1953 Sebring 12 Hours and took third place at Le Mans, preventing a Jaguar 1-2-3.

Autosport was clearly in a complimentary mood, for the Ferrari 375 was also praised, less than three months before it finally broke Alfa Romeo’s stranglehold on Formula 1 (see page 44): “Few racing cars have achieved such immediate success as the unsupercharged 4.5-litre Ferrari. The original [1950] cars have proved to be extremely fast and reliable, but Ferrari does not believe in standing still and has produced an even faster car for 1951.”