Rare C8 Corvette a Tribute to Briggs Cunningham, Chip Miller

Cunningham 60th Anniversary C8 Corvette starred at Amelia Island, Greenwich concours, as well as SEMA 2021 and the Detroit Motor Bella.

One of the first Corvettes to hit the track was built by Briggs Cunningham with help from the “Father of the Corvette” himself, Zora Arkus-Duntov. Three of them were prepared for the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Cunningham and Bill Kimberley in the No. 1 ‘Vette. Alas, it was a rough outing for the trio, with only the No. 3 Corvette making it to the finish line with the top spot in the GT 5.0 class.

Six decades later, the first of 60 Cunningham 60th Anniversary C8 Corvettes made a big splash on the show circuit. Come late January 2022, it’ll have all the attention once more, this time under the big tent of Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2022 in Arizona.

Though the first example built, this Cunningham 60th Anniversary C8 Corvette wears the number 33, per the request of the Chip Miller Amyloidosis Foundation. The number was the late Carlisle Events co-founder Chip Miller’s favorite, using it on his race cars until the end.

Each of the 60 copies of the Cunningham 60th Anniversary Corvette were styled by McLaren F1 designer Peter Stevens. All cars are 3LTs, rocking massive 20- and 21-inch HRE forged aluminum wheels inspired by the Halibrands Cunningham’s ‘Vettes wore decades before. The headrests feature the Cunningham 60th Anniversary logo stitched into them, plus the X of 60 number underneath.

Out back, the 6.2-liter LT2 V8 gains more power via Lingenfelter Performance. With a bit of tuning on their part, the naturally aspirated V8 makes 600 horsepower, all brought to a stop with a set of Alcon Pro Sport brakes. Exposed carbon fiber bits and a racing-inspired gooseneck rear wing complete this rare C8 Corvette.

This special Corvette made quite a few appearances prior to its upcoming trip to the big tent. These include both Amelia Island and Greenwich concours, the one-off Detroit Motor Bella, and the 2021 SEMA Show. We can only wonder how much this tribute to both Cunningham and Miller will pull in once the hammer falls. Whomever is the lucky new owner will have quite the centerpiece.

Photos: Barrett-Jackson

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