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1952 Cunningham C4R Debuts at Road America

1 August 1997

Elkhart Lake, WI--What better place to make a public debut of a new/old
sports car. Road America was the site for the first public appearance
for the prototype of the famous 1952 Cunningham C4R. Briggs Swift
Cunningham III, son of the famous driver and yachtsman, has revived
his father's company. The hand-built prototype with a hand-hammered
aluminum body and dual tube chassis is based upon the original C4R, of
which two were built in late 1951. The powerplant for the car is the
1952 Chrysler 333 c.i. HEMI.  The car will be period correct and will
be eligible for vintage racing events.



The prototype displayed at Road America is the platform or "mule" car
for chassis testing and developement. Cunningham spokesperson Larry
Black commented "that the first customer car, contingent upon testing,
will be delivered in early 1998." Black further commented "The
exacting demand for precision to the original detail of the C4R will
determine the exact roll-out date." Considering the fact that no
original plans of the car built in the 1950's are available, this
undertaking is phenomenal. The prototype was built from photographic
information on the 1952 Sebring winning car. The advantage of CADCAM
and digital technology has been an intregal part of the developement.



It is estimated that each of the hand-made cars will require 6000 man
hours to construct. Fifty cars is the proposed target before ending
production.  The estimated price tag is a pricey $180,000. Considering
the small number that will be built not a bad price for a hand-built
car. The chassis numbers will pick up from where the the firm left off
in 1954.



For the racing enthusiasts the name "Cunningham" evokes memories of
racing cars loaded with raw unharnessed horsepower coupled with a
basic yet beautiful eye-appealing body design. The familiar white cars
with blue stripes achieved victories at Watkins Glen, Sebring, Elkhart
Lake and other venues. Cunningham's vision of what a sports car should
look like was emulated by the likes of Zora Duntov, father of the
Corvette and the legendary Carroll Shelby. As a back-handed compliment
to Cunningham, Shelby's cars appeared with blue bodies with white
stripes. Perhaps as a way of not so subtle oneupmanship the Cunningham
Company rolled out the prototype during the race week-end which was
devoted as a tribute to Carroll Shelby. There's nothing quite like
good ol'American competition.



For further information the Cunningham Company can be contacted at
(888)-733-3687.