Three Corvettes That Took On the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1960 (Part 2)

One of the most amazing stories in Corvette racing history

Part 1 of our three-part series was about Briggs “Swift” Cunningham and his amazing career as a sportsman champion in yacht and automobile endurance racing. Briggs was born into a very rich family in 1907. His father was a successful banker and businessman who, unfortunately for the Cunningham family, died young. His will was set up so that none of his heirs would have 100 percent of their inheritance until they were forty years of age.

Racing cars in the 1930s and 1940s was indeed a very dangerous activity, as there were zero safety regulations. Briggs’ mother did not want her son racing around in one of those death traps, and being a good son, Briggs abided by his mother’s wishes until her passing.

Thanks to his friends Sam and Miles Collier, Briggs was there at the beginning of American road racing

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Road racing at Watkins Glen began in 1948, and the following year, Briggs was on the starting grid in a new Ferrari 166SC. Guess who else was on the grid? Thirty-nine-year-old immigrant, Zora Arkus Duntov. Zora was a racer who learned mechanical engineering so he could race cars. “Racing” and building better and better race cars were all he ever wanted to do. He knew everyone who was anyone in the car and racing business. Zora and Briggs were “friendly acquaintances and competitors.

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Late in 1955 and early 1956, Chevrolet chief engineer Ed Cole (also a car guy) directed Zora to build a team of 1956 Corvettes for the 12 Hours of Sebring. Zora didn’t believe a street Corvette would be a successful race car and balked. So, Cole hired race car champion John Fitch to run the ’56 Sebring team. Who recommended Fitch? Briggs Cunningham. Once Fitch had the team up and running, Zora changed his mind and threw himself into the project.

The ’56 Sebring assault secured Corvette’s first prestigious road-racing class win

Cole was so thrilled, he gave Zora another assignment on top of his fuel-injection project: to work with three-time Indy 500 winner Mauri Rose. (and Smokey Yunick) to design, develop, and field test (race) specially engineered optional catalog parts designed for racing. Rose was a three-time Indy 500 winner, and Smokey’s reputation was well-established. Beginning in 1957, the Corvette parts catalog had three key components in place: the 283/283 Fuelie, an all-new four-speed transmission, and RPO 684 Heavy Duty Racing Suspension.

Late into 1956 and early 1957, Zora was overseeing the Corvette he wanted to race, the purpose-built, birdcage tube frame 1957 Corvette SS. The Sebring debut of the SS was not good, but Zora wanted to make changes, build more SS cars, and go to Le Mans. Briggs Cunningham loved racing at Le Mans. But the Corvette SS was swept up in the AMA Racing Ban, and that was that. Rumor had it that Briggs was to be hired to run the Le Mans SS team. The program was probably killed before there was a chance for an offer to Briggs.

Bring in the Privateers

Meanwhile, Cole, Zora, Rose, and Yunick embraced the Ettore Bugatti business model of “build the car and special parts and let the owners do the racing.” The formula worked. By 1959, Corvettes were contenders in SCCA road racing. Then, for the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans event, rules were changed to allow production cars with larger engines to compete. This allowed the 1960 283 Fuelie with all the Chevrolet-engineered RPO “Racer Kit” parts to compete in the GT Class. In addition to getting his Corvettes into such a prestigious race, Zora hoped he’d get another chance to drive at Le Mans. Remember, Zora had two Class wins in 1954 and 1955.

Chevrolet chiefs summoned Briggs and John Fitch to Detroit for a special meeting and asked Briggs to run Chevrolet’s covert Le Mans assault with a team of three maxed-out 1960 Corvettes. In addition, Zora made sure that Briggs had the absolute best of what Chevrolet could offer.

The Plan according to Zora

Once Briggs accepted Chevrolet’s proposal, Zora developed a strategy to set up the cars for maximum speed in the bends, but forgiving in case of an error. At the same time, plans for the 1960 283 Fuelie included aluminum heads, but none made their way to the Cunningham Le Mans effort. Also in the works was an all-aluminum version of the small-block Chevy that never really worked out.

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The aluminum heads were scheduled to be on the 1960 RPO parts list, but never made it. Just as well, they were very unreliable. As the years went by, Zora seeded aluminum components into production Corvettes. 1960 Corvettes had aluminum radiators that were part of Briggs’ Corvettes.

Zora managed to get a sweet discount for Briggs’ three loaded-for-bear Corvettes. $4,060! According to the Corvette Black Book, the 1960 Corvette, plus the performance options, should have cost at least $5,300! (around $56,500 in 2024 dollars) Just the same, Briggs was spending $16,000 for cars, plus race prep, transportation to France, and all other expenses. Don Allen Chevrolet in New York City delivered the cars, and Briggs immediately sent them to the shop of his long-time racing partner, Alfredo Momo.

The basic build for all three Cunningham Le Mans Corvettes

Look carefully at the close-up photos of the restored #3 Corvette. The attention to detail and craftsmanship is “automotive art”. Zora made sure the 283 Fuelies were built “a little over-stock”, but not enough to over-stress the engines. As events unfolded, that strategy didn’t entirely pan out. All of Briggs’ race cars through his career were white with blue center stripes, often considered the American International Racing Colors. It was Briggs’ signature style. Many of Briggs’ race cars were completely fabricated, and many were bought sports race cars.

Here’s a basic list of the car’s options and special features

• 1960 Corvette Base Price: $3,872
• 283/290 Fuelie Engine – RPO 579D: $484
• 4-speed transmission – RPO 685: $188
• Posi-Traction – RPO 675: $43
• Heavy Duty Brakes and Special Steering – RPO 687: $333
• 24-Gallon Fuel Tank – RPO 1625A: 161, replaced with a 37-Gallon Fuel Tank
• Auxiliary Hardtop – RPO 419: $237
• Cooling ducts from the front grille to the brakes
• Removable Hardtop
• Halibrand Quick-Release Fuel Cap
• Radio Delete Package
• Steward Warner Gauges on machined dash plaques
• Halibrand Magnesium Wheels shod with Firestone racing tires
• Lucas Brake Lights and Running Lights
• Koni Shocks and an additional front sway bar
• Lightweight aluminum aircraft jump seat
• Sliding center section rear window for interior ventilation
• Cool air ducting from the front driver’s side bumper area to the interior footwell
• Right-side windshield wiper relocated to the center, preventing high-speed binding

Before shipping the three cars to France, the team track-tested one completed car for 24 hours in the rain at Bridgehampton Race Circuit. Zora told the drivers to “drive hard.” It was a stress test. During testing, one of the steel wheels broke off! Afterward, the cars were equipped with stronger Hallibrand magnesium wheels, plus they looked cooler!

Corvettes invade Le Mans, France

By June 1960, months of preparation had finally paid off. On race day, all three Briggs Cunningham Corvettes were lined up on the grid, plus one more white Corvette, the Lucky Casner Camoradi Team Corvette. By contrast, the Casner Corvette’s race prep was more aggressive and lighter, weighing in at 2,830 pounds, compared to 2,980 pounds for the Cunningham Corvettes.

Each of Briggs’ Corvettes had two assigned drivers.

• #1 Corvette paired Briggs Cunningham with Bill Kimberly.
• #2 Corvette paired Dr. Dick Thompson with Fred Windridge.
• #3 Corvette paired John Fitch with Bob Grossman.

The driver’s roster was official. Nevertheless, Zora believed that he would get a seat in one of the cars. Before the race, Ed Cole asked Briggs to promise there’d be no ride for Zora. This wasn’t to punish Zora. There’d been an incident in 1953, right after he was hired on May 1, 1953, to work under Chevrolet chassis expert Maurice Olly. Zora wanted off the following month to drive for Porsche at Le Mans, as he had agreed to with Porsche. Olly, a proper English gentleman, was ready to fire Zora! Cole settled things by letting Zora go to Le Mans, but on a “leave of absence, without pay”.

Zora was so angry that he bought a one-way ticket and wasn’t intending on returning! Fortunately, Zora cooled off and eventually returned to Chevrolet. For the 1960 Le Mans race, I’m certain Zora was deeply disappointed. Cole’s final statement on Zora driving for Briggs was that Zora was simply” too valuable to the company”. Indeed, he was. Zora had already broken his back testing a modified ’54 Corvette at the GM desert test track in Arizona.

The wonder and challenge of Le Mans

However, as every Le Mans veteran knows, speed alone never guarantees success. We learned from Ron Fellows’ talk at Bill Tower and Steve Hurley’s “Sebring Racing Seminar” that conditions at Le Mans can be brutal, with one kind of weather on one end of the track and something else on the other. And it seems that when it rains at Le Mans, it often rains HARD, creating treacherous and deep puddles at high speeds.

After the then-traditional Le Mans start, where the drivers would run across the track, jump into their cars, and take off, all four Corvettes (including the “Lucky” Casner’s “Camoradi U.S.A. Corvette) were lined up together. It looked great for the photographers. However, with 24 hours ahead, a million things could still go wrong. That’s exactly what happened.

Unfortunately, thirty-two laps into the race, a heavy thunderstorm and deep puddles caused Cunningham Corvette #1 to spin out, flip, roll, and burn. For Briggs and Bill Kimberly, it was a short race. The second Cunningham Corvette to fall was #2, driven by Dick Thompson and Fred Windridge. The car crashed into a ditch. Bodywork was lost, and the car had oil and water problems. The car was simply broken.

The racing Corvette’s Achilles heel: BRAKES!

As a result, Cunningham Corvette #3, driven by John Fitch and Bob Grossman, suffered the typical Corvette endurance racing weak link: brakes. Even though the RPO 687 Heavy Duty Brakes and Steering option was a sophisticated setup for a drum brake system with inside cooling scoops called “elephant ears” and inner fan blades to pull cool air over the drums, the setup was better suited for much shorter races.

The common complaint among nearly every Corvette racer was, “NO BRAKES”. Even so, Fitch and Grossman pressed on.

Unfortunately, existing disc brakes weren’t strong enough to handle the braking weight of a 2,900-pound Corvette. Special racing drum brakes were developed, but were not up to the task for long endurance races. Corvette’s greatest strength wasn’t enough to overcome its biggest weakness.

After the initial excitement of a Le Mans start, the battle of attrition begins

As the hours passed, the race settled into its familiar rhythm of survival and endurance. We mentioned earlier that Zora didn’t want to over-stress the Fuelies. But when the brakes are mostly gone, the only thing a driver can do is downshift to let the engine wind down to help slow the car. In the process, the engine was over-revved by as much as 1,000 rpm! (must have sounded great!)

As a result, #3’s Fuelie quickly developed serious overheating problems. Le Mans often has seemingly odd rules for when cars can refuel and take on new water. When #3 pitted, the crew was precluded from coolant. Fortunately, a Chevrolet engineer who just happened to be on vacation at Le Mans suggested a novel solution: pack the manifold with ice.

Against all odds, the trick worked. The #3 Cunningham Corvette with Fitch at the wheel crossed the finish line in 8^th overall and 1^st in the GT5.0 Class. Car #3 ran 280 laps with an average speed of 97.92 mph. The race was won by a Ferrari 250 TR59/60 Testa Rossa entered by Scuderia Ferrari and driven by Olivier Gendebien and Paul Frère. 

Ferrari entries occupied the first seven positions, while Cunningham’s production-based Corvette claimed eighth overall. An Aston Martin finished ninth, and Lucky Casner’s “Camoradi” Corvette rounded out the Top 10. Four years into the RPO “Racer Kit” program, Corvette scored a major Class win at the most prestigious road racing event in the world.

The Cunningham Corvettes, post-Le Mans

This is a very long story that you can get the entire story in the film, “The Quest”. Here’s the short version. The cars returned to America looking pretty sad. Cars #1 and #2 looked totaled, but not really. All three cars were repaired, refurbished, most of their racing parts removed, and then sold as “Used Cars”.

How much they were sold for, we don’t know. Did the future owners know the cars had raced at Le Mans at crazy speeds, one won it’s Class, and two were seriously crashed? Again, we don’t know, but probably not. Although the race had ended, the story of the Cunningham Corvettes was only beginning.

Enter Chip Miller

Years later, one passionate Corvette enthusiast would begin an extraordinary search. Every Corvette enthusiast has a dream Corvette. It could be the first Corvette you ever got a ride in, your first Corvette that you bought, or perhaps a Corvette race car that is special to you.

Chip Miller and his business partner, Bill Miller, never imagined in 1974 when they staged their first Corvette parts swap meet that their enterprise would become what it is today. Chip’s all-time favorite Corvette was the Briggs Cunningham 1960 Fuelie Corvette #3, which won it’s Class in 1960 at Le Mans.

As “Mr. Corvettes at Carlisle”, Chip knew everyone who was anyone in the Corvette world. Along the way, Chip befriended “Corvette Repair” owner Kevin Mackay. The two men shared the same Corvette passion: C1, C2, and C3 Corvette race cars.

Around 1992, using VIN numbers, Kevin eventually tracked down all three Cunningham cars.

• Jerry L. Moore of Tampa, Florida, owned Car #1.
• Michael Pillsbury owned Car # 2.
• James Walsh, of St. Louis, Missouri, owned Car #3.

After eight years of friendly regular conversations and Christmas cards, James Walsh was ready to sell the then-painted cherry red car to Chip Miller. The old Fuelie was shipped to Corvette Repair for a reveal party with 17 early Corvette experts to witness the truth; was this the Cunningham #3 Le Mans Class-winning Corvette? The story is beautifully documented in the film, “The Quest,” and in Mackay’s delightful 2018 book, “The Corvette Hunter”.

Eventually, Lance fulfilled his father’s dream Corvette

Sadly, Chip never lived to see the restoration completed. Nevertheless, his son, Lance Miller, carried the dream forward. On March 25, 2004, Chip passed from amyloidosis, a rare form of blood cancer. Lance immediately picked up the mantle and pledged to fulfill his father’s wish: to oversee the completion of the restoration in time to have the car shipped to the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans, fifty years after #3’s historic class win. And to sweeten the deal, 92-year-old John Fitch was behind the wheel with Lance Miller riding shotgun for a few parade laps around the Le Mans track.

Today, all three 1960 Cunningham Fuelie Le Mans Corvettes have been completely restored to their original racing condition. Considering what typically happens to old Corvette race cars, this is a modern-day “Corvette Miracle” story.

What was Briggs Cunningham like to race with?

Perhaps most importantly, Briggs Cunningham left an even greater impression on the people who raced with him. Briggs’ sportsman accomplishments in the worlds of yacht and road racing have been well-storied. The number of custom-made racing yachts and race cars, as well as bought sports race cars, is staggering.

Many are on display at The REVS Institute in Naples, Florida. Briggs’ racing wins on the water and road tracks are most impressive. But what was he like on a one-on-one basis? Here are some insights from Gregory Von Dare’s 1992 book, “Corvette Racers”, page 119.

John Fitch – “A very easy person to get along with, very undemanding, very considerate.”

Dr. Dick Thompson – “Briggs Cunningham was a wonderful guy. He created a wonderful atmosphere for everybody there. He would never try to pressure anybody to do better, just go out and have fun. There was never any pressure with Briggs. He was a sportsman. This was sport, it wasn’t business. He treated it as such and wanted us to treat it as such. It was a little hard for us at times. Walt Hansgen was a very competitive guy, and I think I was too. And sometimes we had a little problem with that attitude. But it did create a very relaxed atmosphere. Briggs just wanted you to have a good time and don’t wreck the car.”

Cunningham 1960 Le Mans Corvette Ownership Lineage

After the Cunningham Corvettes came back to America, most of the racing parts were removed, and the cars were sold as “Used Cars”. Consequently, as the years rolled on, they were bought and sold over and over. Most of the owners had no idea that the old Vette they bought once raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Here are all of the owners.

Corvette #1 – 24 Hours of Le Mans – DNF

Chevrolet removed the racing engine, returned it to the factory, and decommissioned the racing components.

Ownership Lineage:

• Briggs Cunningham – Owner #1
• Perry Boswell, Jr. – Owner #2
• Robert Lee Bollinger – Owner #3
• Jerry L. Moore – Owner #4
• Don Mathis, Sr. – Owner #5
• John Lahmuhke – Owner #6
• Hon. Richard Wade, Sr. – Owner #7
• Rick Carr – Owner #8
• Pam Carr – Owner #9
• Hon. Richard Wade, Sr. – Owner #10
• Rick Carr – Owner #11
• Lance Miller – Owner #12
• Kevin Mackay – Owner #13 – Restored the car to 1960 Le Mans configuration
• Jay Dewing, Briggs Cunningham’s grandson – Current Owner

Corvette #2 – 24 Hours of Le Mans – DNF

Chevrolet removed the racing engine, returned it to the factory, and decommissioned the racing components.

Ownership Lineage

• Briggs Cunningham – Owner #1
• Steve Smith – Owner #2
• Vasek Polak, Manhattan Beach, California, Porsche Dealer – Owner #3
• Mike Pillsbury – Owner #4 (found a car in a junk yard with two cars stacked on top, Pillsbury recognized the Halibrand wheels)
• Bruce Meyer – Owner #6 (current owner)

Corvette #3 – 24 Hours of Le Mans – 8^th Place Overall, 1^st in GT Class

Chevrolet removed the racing engine, returned it to the factory, and decommissioned the racing components.

Ownership Lineage:

• Briggs Cunningham – Owner #1
• Don Crist – Owner #2
• James Rathan, Jr. – Owner #3
• Lemand E. Lambert – Owner #4
• Tom Scott – Owner #5
• Bruce Bowers – Owner #6
• St. Louis Sports Car Club – Owner #7
• James Walsh – Owner #8
• Chip Miller – Owner #9 (inherited by Lance Miller)
• Irwin Kroiz – Owner #10 (current owner)

Briggs Cunningham didn’t get an overall win, but he put Corvette on the racing map

Briggs Cunningham never achieved his dream of an overall Le Mans victory. However, he accomplished something nearly as important: he proved that Corvette belonged on the world’s biggest endurance-racing stage. While Olivier Gendebien and Paul Frère drove Ferrari’s No. 11 Testa Rossa to overall victory in 1960, John Fitch and Bob Grossman carried the Stars and Stripes to a GT class win in Cunningham’s fuel-injected Corvette. More than six decades later, Corvette still competes at Le Mans, following a path first carved by Briggs Cunningham and his remarkable team.

UPDATE: 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Remarkably, the Corvette presence at Le Mans continues today. The 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans was won by Toyota’s No. 7 Toyota TR010 Hybrid, driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and Nyck de Vries.

Here’s the 2026 24 Hours of Lemans Z06 GT3.R Corvette lineup:

• No. 33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Nicky Catsburg/Jonny Edgar/Ben Keating
• No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Salih Yoluc/Peter Dempsey
• No. 2 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Ben Green/Lorcan Hanafin/HH Prince Jefri Ibrahim
• No. 13 13 Autosport Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern

We will wrap up our Corvette racing history blast from the past with a few interesting factoids and comparisons. The 1960 Ferrari 250 TR 59/60 that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans cost around $15,000. That’s around $172,000 in 2026 dollars. As per the above invoice, Briggs Cunningham’s three 1960 283 Fuelies cost $4,060 each (plus the cost of race preparation). That’s $46,500 in 2026 dollars.

Now let’s look at the current estimated cost to campaign one Pratt & Miller Z06 GT3.R Corvette:

Item	Estimated Cost
Corvette Z06 GT3.R Race Car	$735,000
Spare Engine, Gearbox, Bodywork, Wheels & Electronics	$250,000–$500,000+
Initial Parts Inventory	$100,000–$300,000
Race Transport Equipment	$100,000+
Crew Salaries, Testing, Travel, Tires & Fuel	Hundreds of thousands to several million dollars annually

In 1960, A Ferrari 250 TR 59/60 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Sixty-six years later, in 2026, a Toyota TR101 Hybrid won the race. It would have been possible (but probably not pleasant) to drive the Ferrari or one of Cunningham’s Corvettes on the street.

In 2026, it would be totally IMPOSSIBLE to drive either the Pratt & Miller Z06 GT3.R or the Toyota TR010 Hybrid on the street! And it would definitely NOT be pleasant. Here are some interesting comparisons.

Race Car	Approximate Cost New	Notes
1960 Briggs Cunningham Corvette Fuelie	$4,060	Actual discounted price paid by Briggs Cunningham for each specially prepared Le Mans Corvette.
1960 Ferrari 250 TR59/60 Testa Rossa	~$10,000–15,000	Factory-built Ferrari sports racing car; winner of the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans.
2026 Corvette Z06 GT3.R	~$735,000	Customer race car built by Pratt Miller for GT3 competition.
2026 Toyota TR010 Hybrid Hypercar	~$2.5–4.0 Million	Purpose-built factory Hypercar with hybrid powertrain; winner of the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Here’s the kicker. Briggs Cunningham could field three Le Mans Corvettes in 1960 for less than the cost of a new Cadillac.

Today, a single Toyota TR010 Hybrid Hypercar likely costs around $3 million before Toyota pays a single engineer, mechanic, or driver.

Yet the goal remains unchanged: survive 24 Hours at Le Mans and beat the best in the world. – Scott

Corvette Generational History

Our 1953–1962 C1 Corvette Review: Engineering, Styling, Sales, and Legacy Story is now available.

The 1962–1967 C2 Corvette Review: Engineering, Styling, Sales, and Legacy Story is now available.

Also, 1968–1982 C3 Corvette Review: Engineering, Styling, Sales, and Legacy Story is now available.

The 1984-1996 C4 Corvette Review: Engineering, Styling, Sales, and Legacy Story is now available.

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