Briggs Cunningham and the Beginnings of the Sports Car Craze in the US

The source for this post is Roger Butterfield, "Crazy Over Sports Cars," Saturday Evening Post, 226 (November 7, 1953), 34-66.

Between 1949 and 1953 Briggs Cunningham spent over a million dollars in an attempt to win at Le Mans. Described as a "lean and speed-hungry man," Cunningham was a car collector owning such vehicles as a 1911 Underslung, Hispano Suizas, Pierce Arrows, Mercers, Duesenbergs, Buggatis, Alfa Romeos and Rolls Royces. More modern vehicles included Cadillacs, a Lincoln, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Willys Jeep, Mercedes, aston Martin, Porsche, M.G. O.S.C.A., and a  Bentley.

Cunningham was originally from old money Cincinnati (pork processing), but by the 1950s his home base was West Palm Beach, Florida during the winter, and Long Island the other half of the year. His interest in automobiles went back to his youth, and in 1929 he dropped out of Yale after two years. He followed a lifestyle of golfing, sailing, and travel, buying a Alfa Romeo after marrying the daughter of a New York industrialist, Lucie Bedford, and going to England

His interest in auto racing was in part the result of a friendship with the Collier Brothers, Miles and Sam. The Colliers sustained interest in sports car road racing in the US during the Interwar years, inviting devotees to a track at their home in Tarrytown, New York There dedicated amateurs tried new gadgets and and a variety of modified cars.

Interest in sports cars -- light, simple agile and small -- was a reaction to American cars of the 1930s and 1940s -- vehicles that were increasingly build like a home. Detroit iron became comfortable, with soft springing, heaters , radios, and plush interiors. The sports car of the post-War era -- typified by the M.G. T-C and T-D was anything like their American counterparts -- crude, made with plenty of wood, drafty, with side curtains instead of roll-up windows, noisy, and underpowered. After WWII and prior to 1954 some 140,000 foreign cars were imported into the US.

One major event that stimulated sports car racing and ownership in the US was the annual Watkins Glen Grand Prix which began in 1948. Initially a road race that included going through the Village of Watkins Glen, NY, it began as a 6.6 mile course with 16 right-angle turns, several abrupt switches from dirt to concrete and a series of uphill and downhill grades. The popularity of the event was simply explosive between 1948 with tis 10,000 spectators and 1952, when over100,000 watched the race. Because of an accident that took the life of a young boy, the race was held on a loser track beginning in 1953.

Another major stimulus to the growth of the sports car hobby was Briggs Cunningham' assault on  the 24 hour race at Le Mans. It captivated the attention of Americans who no longer were satisfied with playing 2nd fiddle to the Europeans in almost anything! Cunningham's first attempt took place in 1950, when he entered a modified Cadillac that French fans named Le Monstre. That bizarre-looking car finished 11th, and the next year Cunningham took to France his Chrysler V-8 Fire-power engine roadsters. In 1952 Cunningham entered his CR-4s, 600 pounds lighter than the 1951 models. Victory would elude the Cunninghams, but what endured was a powerful sports car movement in the US that lasted for two generations, then last now growing old and gray.

Le Monstre

Cunningham C-3

More on this topic later!

The MGA Twin Cam: Sports Car Of The Year (1955-1956)

My first car was a black with red interior 1959 MGA. I got it my senior year jun High school, 1966.  The above film stresses the Twin-Cam variant, a car that I understand was difficult to tune and had other maintenance issues. I paid $600 for that first car, and sold it for almost that much. It was a Western New York Car, meaning it by the time I got it, it was filled with Bondo.  It never failed me, despite all the writing about Lucas electrics.  The mystery for me back then was the SU carburetors and how to tune them. I still have the Unisyn I bought to tune the car. It had wire wheels and knock off hubs, and when the top was down it introduced me to the sheer exhilaration of driving.





I wonder now what attracted me to British cars and the MG in particular? No one in my family had British cars. My older cousins didn't think much of imports at all.  I do remember walking by the sports car dealership on Delaware Avenue in North Buffalo, Mark Motors, and being struck by a light Blue MGA that was for sale for $1300.  There and to be something that made a powerful impression on my 17 year-old mind that said to me "you didn't know about this shape before, but now you must have it."

Jaguar Factory Tour - 1961

This is a fascinating video illustrating Jaguar production techniques at the top of their game -- late 1950s and early 1960s.  Not a hand-made car by any measure, but plenty of skilled labor is still involved.

Betsy De Vos and her Connection to the Automobile Industry

Edgar Dale Prince

Betsy DeVos

Thanks to Ed Garten for this material.  IN SUM, THE AMERICAN MADE COUNTLESS FORTUNES DURING HTE 20TH CENTURY.  THAT IS WHY WE CANNOT LOSE  OUR COMPETITIVE EDGE AS WE COMPETE WITH OTHER MANUFACTURERS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE!

Love her or hate her, Donald Trump's new Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has a strong family connection to the automobile industry.  DeVos' father, Edgar Prince of Holland, Michigan, made his fortune manufacturing auto parts.  But perhaps his greatest innovation was one that women can't do without today:  Prince invented the lighted sun visor mirror.  How often have we seen, at red light stops, women drivers pulling down their sun visors, looking into the lighted mirror, and then quickly putting on make-up?  And then there is the occasional male driver, adjusting his tie in the lighted mirror or making sure he doesn't have a five-o'clock shadow before going into the office.  What would we do without Edgar Prince to light up our faces?

Edgar Dale Prince was born on May 3, 1931 in Holland, Michigan, the son of Edith (De Weert) and Peter Prince and died in 1995 at the young age of 63. His father was a local businessman who died of a stroke when Edgar was 11. His parents belonged to the Reformed Church in America and traced their ancestry back to the Netherlands. He graduated from the University of Michigan, where he received a bachelor of science degree in engineering.

Prince started his career at a company manufacturing die cast machines in Holland, Michigan. He quit in order to start his own manufacturing business with the help of two co-workers. The venture proved very successful and was a leading manufacturer of die-cast machines in Michigan by the 1970s. The Prince Corporation also operated a successful diversification into auto parts by developing sun visors and other interior systems for car manufacturers. After a long period of sustained growth, it employed thousands in the early 1990s at its many plants.

Ownership in the business made Prince one of the wealthiest men in Michigan.  Prince collapsed in an elevator and died in 1995.  Throughout his career he had congenital heart disease. His company was sold the following year for $1.35 billion and is now a unit of Johnson Controls.

A Mazda Sun Visor

20th Anniversary of the Return of the Silver Arrows to F1 GP

Silver Arrow on course for gold: David Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes MP12-4, car number 10) leads Michael Schumacher (Ferrari F310B, car number 5) at the 1997 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

On 9 March 1997, the Scottish racing driver David Coulthard drove to victory at the Australian Grand Prix in a McLaren-Mercedes. It marked the first win for the Silver Arrows since the Stuttgart brand made its F1 comeback. For at the end of 1955, following two world championship titles for Juan Manuel Fangio, Mercedes-Benz had pulled out of Formula 1 racing while at the height of its success. 40 years later, it teamed up with McLaren for the 1995 season, and in 2010 Mercedes-Benz finally set up its own Formula 1 team, MERCEDES-AMG PETRONAS. Since the triumph in Australia 20 years ago, the Stuttgart brand has racked up countless victories and its drivers have won the Formula 1 world championship on a total of seven occasions: 1998 and 1999 (Mika Häkkinen), 2008 (Lewis Hamilton), 2009 (Jenson Button), 2014 and 2015 (Lewis Hamilton), as well as 2016 (Nico Rosberg).

Stuttgart. The Silver Arrows are back: "Silver evokes memories of times gone by" wrote German motoring magazine "auto motor und sport" in reference to the new colour scheme of the McLaren-Mercedes racing cars before the 1997 Formula 1 season got underway. And reverting to the classic racing colours of Mercedes-Benz did indeed seem to bring the McLaren MP4-12 good fortune: on 9 March 1997, David Coulthard won the opening race of the Formula 1 season in Melbourne ahead of Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) and Mika Häkkinen (McLaren-Mercedes).

The British/German racing team tasted success on several more occasions that season: 3rd at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim (Häkkinen), victory at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza (Coulthard), 2nd at the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg (Coulthard) and a one-two at the European Grand Prix held in Jerez de la Frontera in Spain (Häkkinen followed by Coulthard).

Fans and experts alike were thrilled by the result of the Australian Grand Prix. It was, after all, the first win for McLaren-Mercedes since becoming partners and the first win for McLaren since late 1993. Coulthard's victory also has a symbolic importance as it marks the beginning of the renaissance of Mercedes-Benz and its Silver Arrows in Formula 1: it was the first step on the road to seven Formula 1 world championship titles that have been won by Mercedes-Benz drivers since then – including most recently three in succession between 2014 and 2016.

The future is silver

On 9 March 1997, Coulthard and Häkkinen started from 4th and 6th on the grid respectively in their McLaren-Mercedes MP4-12 cars. Quite a few drivers failed to finish the Australian Grand Prix, with some of them ending up in the run-off area next to the track. This prompted the magazine "auto motor und sport" to run its race report on 21 March 1997 under the heading "The gravel companions". In all, just ten of the 21 starters made it to the finish line. At the head of the field, however, a hard-fought battle ensued that required Coulthard to call on all his driving skills – and both car and engine to deliver unerring performance and reliability.

The Formula 1 Yearbook 1997 actually included a quote from Michael Schumacher, who was breathing down Coulthard's neck in his Ferrari, but eventually had to accept: "I would never have had enough to overtake on this circuit." The duel between the two race leaders closely following each other around the track was described by "auto motor und sport" as the "Coulthard/Schumacher express train" in its race report. And in the special edition containing a review of the 1997 season, the same motoring magazine summed it all up as follows: "David Coulthard controls Michael Schumacher, the man in his rear-view mirror. The Scot demonstrates a new level of self-assurance." The success of McLaren-Mercedes in Australia was also partly down to the superb performance of the pit crew: despite having a one-stop strategy, Coulthard and Häkkinen recorded the fastest pit stop times of the entire field.

The powerplant

The V10 racing engine built by the Mercedes-Benz subsidiary Ilmor had already been a key asset of the McLaren-Mercedes car in the 1996 season. McLaren-Mercedes started the 1997 season with a re-engineered version of the FO 110E. It weighed 124 kilograms, consisted of 6061 individual parts and generated an output of approx. 545 kW (741 hp) at 15,750 rpm from its displacement of 3000 cubic centimetres. Ahead of the French Grand Prix, the FO 110E with its 75-degree cylinder bank angle was superseded by the FO 110F (cylinder bank angle 72 degrees, displacement 2999 cc, 566 kW/770 hp at 16,500 rpm).

McLaren-Mercedes finished the 1997 season placed 3rd (Coulthard) and 6th (Häkkinen) in the drivers' championship and 4th in the constructors' championship. And just one year later, the Silver Arrows once again reigned supreme in motorsport's most elite discipline, when Häkkinen was crowned Formula 1 world champion. McLaren-Mercedes took the constructors' title too. By 2016, Formula 1 racing cars powered by Mercedes engines had notched up six more drivers' championships (Mika Häkkinen 1999, Lewis Hamilton 2008, Jenson Button 2009, Lewis Hamilton 2014 and 2015, as well as Nico Rosberg 2016). There were also three constructors' titles in succession between 2014 and 2016.

From 356 to early 911: the Evolution of Early Porsche Designs

This post is based on the little book by Ulrich von Mende, The Porsche 911 by Ferdinand Porsche. Verlag form, Design Classics, 1999.

An opening quote: “Many objects are beautiful; many are useful; But only very few ever enter into history:  Design Classics.”

The following is a frequently cited maxim of Butzi Porsche's grandfather [Ferdinand]:  “Aus vollen Hosen ist gut stinken” (loosely translated: “It’s easy to swank when you’re flush.”)

Butzi Porsche: “Good design does not follow fashion – more the reverse.  The best example is the Beetle designed by my grandfather Ferdinand.  The Volkswagen was accepted because it was good. And because it dominated the market for such a long time, it became fashion.  The same is true of the 911. It has always got by without any frills in terms of design.”  

Or to cite an even shorter F.A. Butzi “soundbite” – “Design should be honest.”

On June 8, 1948, the first Porsche was registered at the Landesbauddirection in Kärnten.  At this time family and automotive  activities  still  took place in Gemünd, Austria. On seeing the Porsche #1, the local inhabitants coined the disparaging term for streamlined bodyshells, calling it a “bar of soap.”

Porsche #1

…this first Porsche came in a stripped-down, rudimentary streamlined design. Roofless. And with an unframed windshield boasting a chrome-plated dividing bar the only force opposing the relative wind, such details as did exist stood out all the more. One poor design feature -- three chrome strips on the nose, which attempted to give a face to the car. Good: the engine bay ventilation in this mid-engine model, a form of design which Porsche used in many racing cars, yet which did not surface again until used in the VW Porsche 914 built from 1969-1975.  Running parallel to the edge of the engine lid towards the rear of the car were the narrowest of louvers – elegant, formally perfect, and a logical design in technological terms. The bumpers were characteristic of the later 356 series, like a bulbous projection completing the bodywork, were already to be seen in the #1.  

In the same year, Porsche also built roadsters without bumpers. The formal shaping of the chassis in the transition to the floor plan was just as much a mark of the series as was a detail that has been retained to the present day: the vents on the rear engine lid. A filigree frame, rounded at the corners, boasted the very finest chrome surrounds to cover the air intake vents. In either single or twin versions, this trim featured on the back of all Porsches in the 356 series. Its formal clarity also served as a model for the large grill element on the rear of the 911… A further design element had already been premiered in the 356 a: the air vents under chrome bars on the front turn signals. While oil cooler air intake required such vents only on one side, they were added to both wings for reasons of symmetry.

With the 1957 hardtop model, the closed Porsche appeared in a notchback guise, the “B” version of this version with a welded roof and far bigger windowing area providing Butz Porsche with his first inspiration when seeking the design for the successor model.

a 356-B T-6 "Twin-grill" Notchback

 After headlights and bumpers had been raised in the 1959 356 B version, the body’s aerodynamics deteriorated, an obvious consequence with the streamlined shape now ducking down towards the road, sending the relative wind under the bodywork. And even smaller changes proved to be a source of problems.  At the time, Porsche used to test the aerodynamics of different body shells in the very simplest of forms, without a wind tunnel. Cars were sent racing across the autobahn bridges and photographed from above. If the woolen threads stuck to the bodywork produced straight lines in the photos, the aerodynamics were seen as working, serving to improve the CD factor, yet for a Porsche this was still not all that outstanding.

an early VW aerodynamically tested with wool tufts

A flat Porsche creates a small overall aerodynamic drag, explaining why the first Porsche #1 was able to reach speeds of 140 km/hr with a 1131 ccm engine and 35 hp.

A further susceptibility shown by Porsche was, as in the case of many streamlined designs, its side-wind sensitivity. Using tricks such as front bumper overriders weighted with iron – weight distribution subsequently being evened up by bringing the battery forward – driving stability was improved….Up until the time when production was discontinued in 1965 (the 911 having been reviewed in 1963), 76,300 of the 356 series had been built at prices ranging from DM 10,200 (1950) to DM 25,650 (1965). By way of comparison the Beetle cost 4,800 in 1950 and DM 4,485 in 1965.

Butzi Porsche was aiming to produce a car that was not too big, a neutral automobile with quiet yet exciting bodywork lines – basically a contradiction in terms. A larger wheelbase would provide more pace for a six cylinder engine and golf clubs, yet one thing Butzi Porsche definitely did not want was  a fastback. He regarded the fastback version with extended bodyshell as too stodgy-looking. The new model was to resemble the 356 yet would have a distinctive style of its own. With the hint of a notchback, his design had drawn closer to the 356 hardtop in formal terms and featured the thin roof pillars favored by contemporary trends. In the notchback, the air-cooled flat six engine had enough room to breathe under the body. The chassis sported details at both the front and rear that were later adopted by the series: front turn signals, mitiated from circular to strip form yet with integrated air vents – a motif also intended to feature on the taillights, though series models were built without rear louvers.

Father Ferry must be commended for his stubbornness in terms of influencing the 911 design. He insisted on the fastback.  Ferry insisted on his way thus paving the way for the now classical lines of the windows cutouts when viewed form the side.. No combination of straights and ellipses blends in so harmoniously with the volume of a fastback as the expanse of glass serving to prevent what Butzi had feared: the stodgy-looking fastback The 1:1 form study fashioned from over a hundredweight of clay, which, with thrift in mind, offered two design versions when slit down the middle, still had the suggestion of a notchback to it.

Juli 1963: First Photo of the 901 prototype: the car was camouflaged with tail