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Chassis No. 3535, the number-1 Cunningham Corvette that rolled during the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, returns to the auction block following a multi-year restoration.
Some race cars build their reputation through checkered flags. Others earn it through sheer audacity, and this 1960 Chevrolet Corvette LM falls firmly into the second category. Chassis No. 3535 was one of three Corvettes fielded by American racing legend Briggs Cunningham at the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, marking the Corvette's first appearance at the world's most famous endurance race. Following a multi-year restoration, the car is now heading to RM Sotheby's Monterey Auction, running August 13-15, 2026, where it carries a pre-auction estimate of $2,000,000 to $2,500,000. The full listing can be viewed on RM Sotheby's website.
Cunningham, who had campaigned his own cars at Le Mans through the 1950s, was approached in the fall of 1959 by Zora Arkus-Duntov, the GM engineer known as the "Godfather of the Corvette," about fielding a team of Corvettes at Le Mans with unofficial factory support. Because Chevrolet was still publicly observing the AMA's ban on manufacturer-backed racing, the three Corvettes were acquired through Don Allen Midtown Chevrolet in New York rather than directly from GM, then sent to Alfred Momo's shop in Queens for race preparation.
Momo's crew fitted the cars with Halibrand magnesium wheels wrapped in Firestone racing tires, Koni competition shocks, a high-capacity fuel tank with dual Bendix fuel pumps, a side-exit exhaust, and upgraded Stewart Warner instrumentation. The stock engines were swapped for race-spec, fuel-injected small-block V-8s built by Arkus-Duntov's engineering team, and the cars also received quick-ratio steering, a close-ratio four-speed manual transmission, a Posi-Traction limited-slip differential, and heavy-duty brakes and suspension.
Chassis 3535 first competed at the 1960 12 Hours of Sebring, retiring after 41 laps with engine trouble. At Le Mans that June, the car was entered as the number-1 Cunningham Corvette, driven by Briggs Cunningham himself alongside Bill Kimberly, whose family co-owned Kimberly-Clark. Cunningham took the opening stint, and after the first pit stop Kimberly continued the pace until, just past the Arnage corner, a sudden downpour sent the Corvette hydroplaning off the circuit. The car rolled and landed upright; Kimberly walked away unhurt, though the Corvette suffered an engine fire and bodywork damage that ended its race after 32 laps.
After Le Mans, the car passed through a series of owners in Florida, during which time it was modified with a single-headlight front end, a redesigned grille, a hood scoop, and different paint colors over the years. It disappeared into storage for roughly four decades before being rediscovered in 2011, when its then-owner's son found the burgundy-painted Corvette in a warehouse while settling his late father's estate. Research by Cunningham historian Larry Berman confirmed the chassis number as 3535, tying it back to the number-1 Le Mans car.
In 2021, the Cunningham family reacquired the car and commissioned a complete body-off restoration with Corvette specialist Kevin Mackay of Corvette Repair, Inc. in Valley Stream, New York. Completed in 2023 at a cost of more than $500,000, the restoration returned the Corvette to its 1960 Le Mans specification. The finished car was unveiled at the 2023 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance alongside its two sister Le Mans Cunningham Corvettes, and it has since appeared as the cover car three times in NCRS's Corvette Restorer magazine.
Inside, the Corvette retains details from its racing days, including its pair of lightweight bucket seats sourced from a Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft and the Stewart Warner gauges fitted during its Le Mans preparation.
The car comes with a history file documenting its story, including copies of its 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans carnet, correspondence and memos from General Motors related to the effort, period photographs, and copies of the NCRS Corvette Restorer issues that featured the car.
Chassis 3535 will cross the block at RM Sotheby's Monterey Auction, taking place August 13-15, 2026, during Monterey Car Week. The car is being offered directly by the Cunningham family, with RM Sotheby's estimating a sale price of $2,000,000 to $2,500,000.
For collectors drawn to American motorsport history, this Corvette offers a rare chance to own a car that was there at the very beginning of the Corvette's international racing story, right down to its dramatic moment on the Circuit de la Sarthe. Full details and additional photos of this 1960 Chevrolet Corvette LM can be found on RM Sotheby's website.
