Hot Replica: Briggs Cunningham’s 1960 Le Mans Corvette

Here’s a quick test for all you Corvette history buffs. What’s this fist-gen model’s racing claim to fame?

If you answered that this is the 1960 Chevrolet Corvette driven by legendary American sportsman Briggs Cunningham at the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, then you’re pretty close.

The car seen here, which was displayed at the 2016 Le Mans, is actually a replica of the famous #1 Corvette driven at that famed sixties race, according to a Motor Authority report.

Pretty cool knock-off, right? But what’s even more interesting is how the story of the original #1 Briggs Corvette has helped fuel the interest in this duplicate. In fact, the original car never actually finished Le Mans, due to a crash. The Corvette was eventually found in a junkyard by a guy who had no idea what he was buying.

Over the years, it passed through a few hands and wound up being the center of a bizarre three-way legal dispute over claims that the car was actually stolen from a man back in 1970. Today, ownership is shared by two collectors.

Given that kind of drama, I think I’d rather own the replica than the original. What about you?

Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>

Via [Motor Authority]