1960 Le Mans Briggs-Cunningham Corvette Headed to Amelia Island Auction

Last Briggs-Cunningham Corvette to ever race at Le Mans was lost for decades, but now it’s going up for grabs.

Corvette and Le Mans have a rich history going back 60+ years, even though Corvette Racing has only been around for two of those decades. In the early days, privateer racing team Briggs-Cunningham took the reins and fielded more than one Corvette in various motorsports events, including the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. And this very 1960 Briggs-Cunningham Corvette represented the team’s last effort at winning that race in an American machine.

Now, this very special Briggs-Cunningham Corvette is going up for grabs at RM Sotheby’s upcoming Amelia Island auction on May 22 with no reserve. It’s in slightly used condition, of course, but that only adds to its appeal in our book. After all, this is one of only three Corvettes fielded by Briggs-Cunningham at Le Mans, and it was developed with the assistance of a team of Chevrolet folks led by none other than Zora Arkus-Duntov himself.

Chassis 3535 ran the 1960 Le Mans race with #1 livery and was driven by Bill Kimberly, but unfortunately had to retire during just the 32nd lap of the race after it was involved in an accident. On the bright side, Briggs-Cunningham did manage a class victory in their #3 car, piloted by John Fitch and Bob Grossman. After the race, the #1 Corvette eventually went missing and was considered lost until 2012, when it was rediscovered in a highly modified state.

Regardless, this special C1 retains enough of its original features to confirm its historical prominence, which makes it one of the most iconic Corvette racers ever to lay tires on a track. Though it was Briggs-Cunningham’s last Le Mans Corvette racer, it helped foster a relationship that’s currently stronger than ever.

Now, this cool slice of Corvette and Le Mans history is looking for a new home, with an estimated hammer price of between $900,000 and $1,300,000. It’s hard to say whether the new owner will choose to leave it as is or try to restore it back to its original racing livery, but we’d bet on the latter. After all, given its importance in the grand scheme of things, that’s the least we can do for this Le Mans veteran.

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Photos:RM Sotheby’s

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