The Monster and the Clumsy One returning to Le Mans

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When Briggs Cunningham brought his team of Cadillacs to Le Mans in 1950 he must have felt himself the odd man out. And indeed his cars were a sight rarely seen at Le Mans before, one Series 61 Coupe, which at the hands of brothers Miles and Sam Collier (photo above) soon earned the nickname "Petit Pataud" or the 'clumsy' one. But most interest got the Cadillac that was driven by Briggs Cunningham and Phil Walters, known as Ted Tappet in US racing circles. Also based on a Cadillac chassis it had a specially built streamlined body by Grumman Aircraft, but retained its stock V-8 engine. Nicknamed 'Le Monstre' it hit a sand bank early in the race and lots of time was lost. Later it lost second gear and had to drive the rest of the race in top gear alone. "Petit Patuad" had a trouble free race and finished tenth overall. "Le Monstre" received a standing ovation from the crowd as it crossed the finish line just behind the coupe in 11th place. Both these cars will now return -after 62 year- to Le Mans, where the will take part in the Le Mans Classic on July 6-8. (photos courtesy of The Revs Institute)

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