The importance of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the burgeoning international motor racing scene did not go unnoticed in the United States during the interwar years. During this period, the best results at Le Mans by American carmakers were achieved in 1928 by Stutz and Chrysler. Robert Bloch and Edouard Brisson came second in a Stutz Blackhawk, followed by the Chrysler 72 Sixes of André Rossignol/Henri Stoffel (third) and Ion and Gheorghe Ghica Cantacuzino (fourth). Rossignol had already won the race twice before, in 1925 and 1926, in a Lorraine-Dietrich and was partnered by Bloch for the second of those victories.

Briggs Cunningham was the new American pioneer when the 24 Hours resumed after World War II. He was born into a very wealthy family in Cincinnati on 19 January 1907. His father had founded the Citizen’s National Bank and was a director of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Twenty-three years later, during the honeymoon of Cunningham Jr and Lucie Bedford, whose grandfather had co-founded the Standard Oil company, the newly-weds attended the 1930 Monaco Grand Prix, sparking his passion for motorsport.

A monster at the 24 Hours

Cunningham began racing shortly afterwards and started building his own cars from the 1940s. The American entrepreneur made the 24 Hours of Le Mans his primary target over the following two decades and became one of the most prominent figures in the rebirth of the race.

In 1950, he entered two Cadillac coupés that made an immediate impact. While one of the cars retained its original outline, the other had a stunningly sleek body designed by Grumman Aircraft engineer Howard Weinman. Cunningham drove the car – dubbed Le Monstre – with Phil Walters and achieved 11th place, one behind their stablemates Miles and Sam Collier.

Originality became the watchword for Cunningham at the 24 Hours of Le Mans when he began developing his own cars, powered by a 5.5-litre Chrysler V8 engine. He enjoyed a certain degree of success too, with six cars in the Top Ten between 1951 and 1954, including two third places for John Fitch/Phil Walters (1953) and Sherwood Johnston/William Spear (1954). Cunningham himself finished fourth in 1952, seventh in 1953 and fifth in 1954.

From racetrack to water

After Cunningham’s Jaguar D-Type and his own new model with an Offenhauser straight-four engine both failed to finish in 1955, he took a break from Le Mans until 1960. During the intervening years, Cunningham focused his attention on his other major passion: sailing. He won one of the most prestigious trophies in the sport – the 1958 America’s Cup – as skipper of his own boat Columbia and invented a mainsail downhaul system that bears his name.

Cunningham returned to Le Mans in 1960 with the Chevrolet Corvette. The following year, his team clinched fourth and eighth places with a Maserati “Birdcage” – thus named owing to the tubular structure of its chassis. In 1962 and ’63, Cunningham himself drove a Jaguar E-Type to fourth and ninth-place finishes respectively.

From 1950 to 1962, the Cunninghams and Corvettes of the American multimillionaire often led the field on the opening lap as the grid was then based on cubic capacity of the engine. Consequently, the Cunninghams’ 5.5L Chrysler V8 and the 4.6L Corvettes found themselves at the sharp end for the Le Mans-style start.

Cunningham took his Le Mans bow in 1963. He died, aged 96, on 2 July 2003. Twenty years later, Cunningham’s heritage will live on at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary in the passion of Jim Glickenhaus, the return of Cadillac and Roger Penske, and the presence of Rick Hendrick in Garage 56. This remarkable milestone is set to be an exceptional vintage for American participation in the legendary French race.

PHOTOS: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS & LE MANS CLASSIC – FROM TOP TO BOTTOM (© ACO ARCHIVES): beside Le Monstre, the other Cadillac entered by Briggs Cunningham in 1950 (pictured here at Le Mans Classic) was dubbed Petit Pataud ("Clumsy pup"); the start of the 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the cars of Briggs Cunningham/John Gordon Bennett (#1) and William Spear/Sherwood Johnston (#2); Briggs Cunningham returned to Le Mans in 1960 with three Corvettes entered for Cunningham/William Kimberley (#1), Dick Thompson/Fred Windridge (#2) and John Fitch/Bob Grossman (#3) as well as a Jaguar for Dan Gurney/Walt Hansgen; this Maserati entered by Briggs Cunningham in 1962 was driven by Bruce McLaren, future winner for Ford in 1966. That year, Cunningham himself shared the wheel of a Jaguar E-Type with Roy Salvadori, who won three years earlier for Aston Martin.