Briggs Cunningham was a major influence on others in boat and Auto racing. He helped get Karl Kieckhafer's racing effort going in the La Carrera Panamericana with Chryslers. The 1955 Chrysler 300 was developed to beat Lincoln in international competition and pave the way for American cars to compete internationally. The 300 designation is the Omalagato rule, remember the GTO? = Grand Turismo Omalagato, three hundred cars with the same components manufactured by a single company, thats why the 300 got dual quads, solid lifter cams, all of this was to pave the way for American cars in international competition. On one visit to the Costa Mesa museum as we were leaving Cunningham said, hey, stick around' they're going to fire up the Shark, they just installed a new 392 Hemi in it.
The Jalopy Journal
