Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Briggs Cunningham on a 1954 cover of Time magazine
Briggs Cunningham on a 1954 cover of Time magazine

Briggs Swift Cunningham II ( January 19, 1907 - July 2, 2003) was a racecar constructor, racing team owner, and racecar driver often described as a renowned racecar enthusiast—an American automobile manufacturer and collector, as well as, being a victorious America's Cup sailor (skipper of the Columbia in 1958), and inventor. Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, motor racing or car racing) is a Motorsport involving Racing Cars It The America’s Cup is the most prestigious Regatta and Match race in the sport of Sailing, and the oldest active Trophy in international An inventor is a person who creates or discovers a new method form device or other useful means The Cunningham, a device he invented to gain speed while racing sailboats, is named after him. In Sailing, a cunningham or cunningham's eye is a type of Downhaul used on a Bermuda rigged sailboat to change the shape of a sail Briggs was inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 1993. The America's Cup Hall of Fame, located at the Herreshoff Marine Museum of Bristol Rhode Island, USA honors individuals for outstanding achievement in the

His place in the history of automobile racing is as distinctive as his place in yachting. Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, motor racing or car racing) is a Motorsport involving Racing Cars It Yachting is an activity involving boats It may be racing Sailing boats cruising to distant shores or day-sailing along a coast He was featured on the cover of Time magazine of April 26, 1954, shown in front of three of his Cunningham racecars in competition, and the caption reads, “Road Racer Briggs Cunningham: Horsepower, Endurance, Sportsmanship” (see the link provided below). Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar)

In the Posey article of the October 2003 Road & Track magazine, Briggs Swift Cunningham—A Life Well Spent, the author stated that "by building and sailing his own ships, and building and racing his own cars, [Briggs Cunningham] epitomized the definition of the American sportsman. Road & Track is an Automobile enthusiast Magazine in the United States, founded by two friends in 1947 " In 1997, Briggs Cunningham was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum in Novi Michigan for American motorsports legends In 2003, he was named to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to Auto racing either as a driver owner

Introduced to motorsports as a youngster when his uncle took him along to road racing events just after World War One, Briggs Cunningham began international automobile racing in 1930 with his college friends Barron, Miles, and Samuel Collier (who founded the Automobile Racing Club of America in 1933 that became the Sports Car Club of America in 1944) and continued in competition for thirty-six years. Road racing can be a term involving Road running, road bicycle races, or Automobile races Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Barron Gift Collier ( 23 March 1873 — 13 March 1939) was an American Advertising Entrepreneur, who became the largest The Sports Car Club of America ( SCCA) is a club and sanctioning body supporting Road racing, rally, and Autocross in the United States by 1940 he was building sports cars that were entered into Grand Prix races with other drivers. Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894 He entered his Bu-Merc in his first race as a driver at Watkins Glen shortly after World War Two. Watkins Glen International (nicknamed "The Glen" is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was a hybrid of a Mercedes and a Buick. Some of his hybrids also involved Cadillacs, Chryslers, and Fords. Cunningham was one of the first purchasers of the Ferrari barchetta, which was raced along with other brands he constructed or owned. Ferrari SpA is an Italian Sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy The Fiat Barchetta (pronounced "bar-KET-ta" is a Roadster produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1995 to 2005 (though production

Cunningham C-4R sports-racing car
Cunningham C-4R sports-racing car

In 1951 Briggs Cunningham announced that he would build an American racecar for the Le Mans race, creating quite a stir on both continents. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January The 24 Hours of Le Mans ( 24 Heures du Mans) is a sports car endurance race held annually since near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, His team already had become a favorite of the Le Mans fans and the new automobiles proved his commitment to fielding a winning American team with native drivers and automobiles. The B. S. Cunningham Company of West Palm Beach, Florida began production immediately. West Palm Beach, also known as West Palm, is the most populous city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. A Cunningham C-4R won the 1953 Sebring 12 Hours. A Cunningham C-5R won first in its class in 1953 at the 24 hours of Le Mans Grand Prix and other Team Cunningham automobiles finished as high as third place overall. The 24 Hours of Le Mans ( 24 Heures du Mans) is a sports car endurance race held annually since near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894

By 1956 the Cunningham team was described as a dominant force in Sports Car Club of America, SCCA sanctioned sports car racing—a distinction the team retained for the next decade. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Sports Car Club of America ( SCCA) is a club and sanctioning body supporting Road racing, rally, and Autocross in the United States The Sports Car Club of America ( SCCA) is a club and sanctioning body supporting Road racing, rally, and Autocross in the United States Sports car racing is a form of circuit Auto racing with Automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels Automobiles built by the Cunningham team were raced, as well as, Ferraris, Jaguars, Jaguar D-types, Maseratis, O.S.C.A.s, Porsches—and other brands—in Gran Turismo, GT, and Formula One. Ferrari SpA is an Italian Sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy Jaguar Cars Limited is a luxury car manufacturer based in Coventry, England, now operated as part of the Jaguar Land Rover business The Jaguar D-Type, like its predecessor the C-Type, was a factory-built Race car. Maserati is an Italian manufacturer of racing cars and Sports cars established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. Osca redirects here for other uses of Osca see Osca (disambiguation Officine Specializzate Costruzioni Porsche SE or Porsche ( German, ˈpɔɹʃə is a German manufacturer of automobiles which is majority-owned by the Porsche and Piëch One of these set a record in 1954 that still exists. Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) Stirling Moss and Bill Lloyd drove Briggs Cunningham's 1. 5-liter O. S. C. A. MT4 (Maserati Tipo 4), at Sebring 12 Hours and, despite many high-powered competitors, became the smallest engine ever to win at Sebring. That racecar also has the distinction of being the first with wire-wheels to win that race. The next year, two other drivers from the team won Sebring in a Jaguar D-type. In 1961 the new Porsche 904 appeared and Briggs Cunningham and Lake Underwood won first place in P3. 0 while driving it at Sebring. In 1964 at 12 Hours of Sebring, Briggs Cunningham and Lake Underwood drove the a Porsche 904 GTS to capture first place in under-2-liter and ninth overall for the racecar. The Porsche 904 was officially called Porsche Carrera GTS due to the same naming rights problem that required renaming the Porsche 901.

Cunningham automobiles mostly were high-performance prototypes built by Briggs Cunningham and his racing team as racecars and for competition in motorsports during the 1950s, but a few have been adapted for street use and sometimes may be seen as historic personal vehicles. A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, motor racing or car racing) is a Motorsport involving Racing Cars It Racing stripes were first used on his vehicles, blue stripes on a white Cunningham racecar was the tradition. The original racing stripes were stripes applied to the Cunningham team of racing cars to identify them in the field during races

The Cunningham Corner, a portion of the Sebring Raceway was named for Cunningham and his team. Sebring International Raceway is a road course Auto racing facility located in Sebring Florida. Alfred Momo was the chief team mechanic. Drivers who were Cunningham racing team members or fellow drivers with Briggs Cunningham include,

Layout of Sebring International Raceway which shows the Cunningham Corner at the top
Layout of Sebring International Raceway which shows the Cunningham Corner at the top

The Briggs Cunningham collection of automobiles was turned into the Cunningham Museum and later, sold into another private collection. Daniel Sexton Gurney (born April 13, 1931) is an American racing driver race car constructor and team owner Lake Underwood (born 1926 died September 12 2008 is an American Entrepreneur who competed in the Racing of Prototype Automobiles Ivor Léon John Bueb (born June 6 1923, East Ham, London - died August 1 1959, Clermont-Ferrand, France Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss OBE (born September 17, 1929 in London) is a retired racing driver from England. Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE (born April 2 1926) is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One Early life As an eleven year old McLaren contracted a disease in his hip which left his left leg shorter than the right John Michael Hawthorn ( April 10, 1929 - January 22, 1959) was a racing driver born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, England John Cooper Fitch (born August 4 1917) is a racecar driver born in Indianapolis Indiana. Roger Penske (born February 20, 1937 in Shaker Heights Ohio) is the owner of the automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Walt Hansgen ( Westfield, New Jersey, October 28, 1919 - Orléans, France, April 7, 1966) was a William Archibald Scott Brown, known as Archie, ( May 13, 1927, Paisley, Renfrewshire – May 19, 1958, Paul Richards can refer to different people Paul Richards (anthropology Paul Richards (baseball (1908-1986 baseball player manager Charlie Wallace (born January 20, 1885) is a former English footballer who played for Aston Villa. Charles Edward Crawford, aka ed fROMOHIO, (born 26 January 1962, Stubenville Ohio) was the lead singer and guitarist for FIREHOSE Dr Dick Thompson (born in 1920 or 1921 is a retired American racecar driver Briggs amassed an astounding collection of automobiles that included the first Ferrari sold in the United States by Luigi Chinetti. Ferrari SpA is an Italian Sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy Luigi Chinetti ( July 17, 1901 – August 17, 1994) was an Italian-born Racecar driver, who emigrated to the USA

Carroll Shelby, who began his career following World War Two—racing at the same competitions as Cunningham and his teams—has exhibited the influence of Briggs Cunningham upon his similar quest to build a victorious American racecar—even adopting the Team Cunningham colors and reviving the use of Cunningham racing stripes. Carroll Hall Shelby, (born January 11, 1923 in Leesburg Texas) is an American racing and automotive designer and former racing driver The original racing stripes were stripes applied to the Cunningham team of racing cars to identify them in the field during races

His grandson, Brian S. Cunningham, son of Briggs S. Cunningham III, has continued the family tradition of racing. [1]

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic