The 1960 Chevrolet Corvette LM is among the most historically significant Corvettes ever built, representing America’s bold challenge to European dominance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Estimated to fetch $2.5 million at RM Sotheby’s upcoming Monterey auction next month, this remarkable competition machine is one of just three factory-supported Cunningham Corvettes entered in Corvette’s Le Mans debut and remains a cornerstone of American motorsport history.
Offered directly from the Cunningham family, chassis 3535 was piloted by legendary racer Briggs Cunningham and gentleman driver Bill Kimberly under race number 1 during the 1960 French endurance classic. Prior to Le Mans, the car underwent extensive testing at Sebring, Daytona, and Bridgehampton, while also competing in the 1960 12 Hours of Sebring, where invaluable data helped refine its performance despite an early retirement.
Although General Motors publicly observed the Automobile Manufacturers Association’s racing ban, Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov quietly spearheaded the development of these race-prepared Corvettes.
Acquired through a New York dealership to conceal factory involvement, the trio received extensive competition upgrades, including fuel-injected race engines, heavy-duty suspension, Halibrand magnesium wheels, enlarged fuel tanks, Koni dampers, racing instrumentation, and numerous endurance-focused modifications carried out by Alfred Momo’s renowned workshop.
During the 1960 Le Mans race, Cunningham and Kimberly demonstrated the Corvette’s competitiveness against Europe’s finest machinery before heavy rain dramatically altered the outcome. After taking over driving duties, Kimberly encountered severe weather near Maison Blanche, where the Corvette hydroplaned, rolled multiple times, and was ultimately forced to retire following an engine fire. Fortunately, Kimberly escaped without serious injury.
Following its racing career, chassis 3535 underwent decades of modifications and disappeared from public view until its remarkable rediscovery in 2011. Careful examination confirmed its identity through factory chassis stampings and numerous surviving race-specific details.
In 2021, the Cunningham family reacquired the car and commissioned Corvette authority Kevin Mackay to perform an exhaustive body-off restoration costing more than half a million dollars. Completed in 2023, the restoration faithfully returned the Corvette to its exact 1960 Le Mans configuration.
Today, the Corvette has been reunited with its sister Cunningham race cars and has earned multiple NCRS magazine cover features and concours appearances. Accompanied by extensive historical documentation, factory correspondence, race records, photographs, and original Le Mans paperwork, chassis 3535 represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire one of the most important competition Corvettes ever built—a defining symbol of America’s first serious assault on endurance racing’s greatest stage.
Source: RM Sotheby’s
