The Cunningham team brought three C4Rs to Le Mans in 1952, two roadsters and the C4RK coupe. Briggs Cunningham was paired with frequent team driver Bill Spears in this #1 roadster, starting 28th.
The team had done well in previous showings but suffered from insufficient brakes, and 1952 was more of the same. The other two team cars retired before midnight with valve problems caused by over-revving during downshifts. However, Cunningham was notorious for going easy on the equipment and his car stayed running. He drove the first twenty of the twenty four hours. By 7am he had moved up into 7th place. Spear took it home to a 4th place finish and first in class.
Many years later, Cunningham revealed why he had stayed behind the wheel for so long. Earlier in the season he had overheard a doctor say that Spear must never drive without his glasses because he had a vision problem. Thinking of the difficulties of overtaking at night and the inevitable morning fog, Briggs had decided to press on until it was bright and clear.
The team would do better the next year, but the C4R had proved to be a very capable machine andthey continued to field them in 1953 and 1954 with further developments. It seemed possible that a private American team with American drivers, could beat the big boys from Jaguar, Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz.