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Cunningham C-4R Continuation Heads to Auction in Illinois
A rare 1990s continuation of Briggs Cunningham's Le Mans-winning C-4R sports car, authorised by the Cunningham family and displaying just 215 miles, is offered for sale in Naperville, Illinois.
By Edward Beaumont · 5 min read
A rare continuation of the Cunningham C-4R, the American sports car that secured class victories at Le Mans in the 1950s, has been offered for sale in Naperville, Illinois. The car is the second of four chassis built in the late 1990s by The Cunningham Company in Connecticut with the authorisation of the Cunningham family, reviving the machines that first brought a US manufacturer class honours at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Chassis 5220 was delivered new to the previous owner of one of the three original C-4R chassis. It subsequently appeared at marque events including the 2007 Quail, A Motorsports Gathering and the 2013 Lime Rock Park Historic Festival. The car is also said to have spent time on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum before changing hands in 2015, and it was purchased by the selling dealer in late 2025. It carries a Montana title describing it as a 1952 CUNN C4R.
The C-4R was designed by G. Briggs Weaver and introduced for the 1952 racing season as a shorter, lighter evolution of Briggs Cunningham's C-2. The three original chassis comprised two roadsters and a coupe. The roadsters claimed the first class wins for a US manufacturer at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1952 and 1954, along with an overall victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1953.
Creation of a C-4R continuation platform was initiated in 1993 by marque enthusiast Larry Black, who gained approval from the Cunningham family, including a financial partnership with Briggs Cunningham III. A single prototype was completed in 1997 and underwent track testing with original Cunningham team drivers John Fitch and Phil Walters at the wheel. Beginning with this example, three production chassis were delivered before the prototype was retired from promotional duty and sold as the fourth chassis.
Finished in white with blue Le Mans stripes over aluminium body panels, the car is powered by a 331ci Chrysler Hemi V8 breathing through four Weber 48 IDA carburettors and mated to a four-speed manual transmission. Construction incorporates a steel-tube frame finished in olive drab beneath riveted aluminium bodywork. Features include a cylindrical oil cooler housing mounted atop the cowl, Lucas driving lights inset into the bodywork, a louvered hood bulge, leather hood retention straps, louvered fenders and rocker panels, a single windscreen, a driver-side mirror, vented rear fins, a Monza-style fuel filler cap, and dual side-exit exhaust outlets.
Halibrand-style alloy wheels are secured by three-eared knock-offs and wrapped in 7.00-16 Englebert tyres. While the original C-4Rs were equipped with finned drum brakes, the continuation chassis were available with Wilwood ventilated disc brakes as utilised on this example. A proportioning valve can be adjusted via a knob inside the cockpit. Steering is via rack-and-pinion rather than the original C-4R model's Dodge steering box setup.
The cockpit houses a pair of fixed-back bucket seats amid interior panels finished in olive drab and bare aluminium floor pans. Features include blue lap belts, a double-bend shifter, a faired-in rearview mirror, and an electrical cut-off switch. The split-wood-rimmed steering wheel sits ahead of a crinkle-finished dashboard fascia housing a Waltham clock and Stewart-Warner instrumentation including a 160-mph speedometer, an 8k-rpm tachometer, and gauges monitoring oil pressure, coolant temperature, voltage, fuel level, and oil temperature.
The six-digit odometer shows 215 miles, approximately two of which have been added under current ownership. Power is sent to the rear wheels by a New Process A-833 four-speed manual transmission linked to a Dodge 8.75-inch solid-axle rear end. Independent front suspension incorporates double wishbones and coil springs. A Cunningham Historic Motor Cars tag affixed to the firewall is stamped with chassis number R5220.
