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Briggs Cunningham is gone
We lost one of the classiest acts in American road racing history yesterday--Briggs Cunningham died of complications from Alzheimer's disease.
Not only was he a pioneer in taking American cars to Le Mans, he was an accomplished America's Cup yacht skipper, a noted philanthropist, and an all-around class guy. His cars never won Le Mans but they came damned close. They brought the thunder of the American V-8 to a foreign audience that was accustomed to small-displacement, high-winding powerplants. The now-well-known white-over-blue-stripes paint scheme was instituted by a patriotic Cunningham on his Le Mans cars. He also brought OSCAs, Lister-Jags, and Jaguars to America, exposing a whole generation of young race fans to exotic cars they likely would never have seen. His drivers were world class--John Fitch, Ted Tappett, Walt Hangsen, etc.--and dominated the American road racing scene for many seasons in the Cunningham team cars. I wondered why we never saw Briggs at any vintage events until I heard a couple of years ago that he was very ill. His name is not mentioned much in the press these days but I hope his contributions are recalled now that he is no longer with us. Bob |
What a life he had!
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Another great one passes. His cars are seeing a resurgence of interest even before this tragic loss, and I hope all the great ones like Briggs are replaced by a new generation who push racing and the car hobby ahead further.
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Will never forget that Cadillac barquette he raced at Le Mans in the early fifties. The French referred to as the "Le Monstre"
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