1950 Cadillac that raced at Le Mans

Anyone have any in depth information about the 1950 Cadillac Coupe DeVille that Briggs Cunningham took to Le Mans in 1950?

Dunno if it's O/T being an endurance and European race but figured it's close enough.

I've looked online and only been able to find cursory information. Looking to see what kind of mods were done and with what parts for the "stock" car, not Le Monstre.

Also info on how the Cadillac engine was modified from stock for the Allard J2, which was the same (I think?) would be great.

 

No Info, but here are some pics...

Edit.

Found this.
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z11076/Cadillac_Series_61_DeVille_LeMans_Coupe.aspx

 

Saw those in my search, but thanks for sharing.

 

I had this bookmarked, from what I've read the coupe reamined mostly stock:

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The first Cadillac was race-prepared by Frick-Tappett Motors; the second was stripped to its bare chassis and, at the hands of a dozen aerodynamicists and metalworkers from nearby Grumman Aircraft, given a streamlined roadster envelope whose mass and imposing appearance earned its French nickname, "Le Monstre".[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The 1950 Cadillacs had independant front suspension with A-arms and coil springs, Delco shocks, Saginaw steering, Bendix dual-servo brakes and a standard 3.77:1 axle ratio. Cadillac also provided five-carburator manifolds and a 2.9:1 gearset for the Special.
Once at Le Mans, where the team could test its pair of Cadillacs on the circuit, it was found that the roadster would reach about 130, but had slower lap times than the stock-bodied coupe because it couldn't accelerate out of the corners as quickly as the coupe.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The original gearset was reinstalled and then it was discovered that the hydraulic lifters would pump up and hold the valves open if the rpm exceeded 4,400, so the team set a mandatory limit of 4,400 rpm for the race.[/FONT]

More here: http://www.briggscunningham.com/lemans50.html

 

Greetings...

The car raced was actually a "61 Series" Cadillac, not the Coupe DeVille. It is a little strange that Briggs didnt even get that right. The '61 Series was a few inches shorter behind the door and was based off the smaller body shared with the big Buicks and so on... The wheelbase was also a bit shorter than the full size Coupe Deville. The 61 Series ran through mid-year 1951 and was phased out becuase most people upgraded to the 62 series coupe or higher end Coupe Deville.

It did well in the race, even considering that the driver locked the keys inside and during the running start couldnt get in the car once the race started.

Some of the same generation Cadillacs also ran in NASCAR races. These cars have a really cool past, it is a shame people dont know about them.

Hyfire

 

Thanks Gator, that's a start.

Hyfire, you're right it was a 61 now that I think of it.

Placed 10th. Amazing.

 

Info on the coupe here including where it is now.
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Track/2582/cadillac/race/briggs.html

 

Here's the lemonster at the Monterey historics