Briggs Cunningham’s Car Comes Home

Judy Szablak was — coincidentally — driving when she heard that Briggs Cunningham’s house was for sale.

She’s a Coldwell Banker realtor “with drive,” she says — and an automobile aficionado.

Cunningham was a sportsman, race car driver, entrepreneur and automotive pioneer. He built beautiful, powerful machines that are still revered, decades later.

Among his designs: the C-3. Just 36 were built, in the 1950s. Eight were race cars. They are among the rarest and most valuable in auto history.

Briggs Cunningham’s C-3  Cabriolet.

He and his wife Lucie Bedford lived at 92 Beachside Avenue. That’s where he drew his ideas, tuned his engines, and turned his dreams — like the C-3 — into reality.

Now that property was for sale.

While her friend, fellow car enthusiast — and C-3 owner — Chuck Schoendorf told her about Cunningham’s house, she drafted a plan.

She knew the listing agent, Cyd Hamer of William Pitt Sotheby’s in Westport. Judy knew the marketing boost that could come if she connected the cultured car world with the luxury real estate one.

How often would a Cunningham owner — and a possible buyer — get the chance to stand inside his home? And drive his classic automobile through those gates?

92 Beachside Avenue: the view from Long Island Sound.

She called Cyd. She asked to show the property. She told Cyd that Chuck wanted to see the house. To him, it was more than just a piece of real estate. It was living history.

“Real estate agents see a lot: enthusiasts, architects, investors, tire kickers, dreamers,” Judy says.

“But a man arriving with one of Briggs Cunningham’s own cars? That doesn’t come along every day.”

Briggs Cunningham, on the cover of Time magazine.

Cyd quickly said yes.

The appointment was set for a Friday. Snow was predicted. Salt on the roads would have been a deal-breaker. Fortunately, the forecast changed.

The day was slightly overcast — perfect for photos. Chuck arrived, in his “work of art on wheels.” If the house had been human, Judy says, it would have smiled.

“The scene looked staged, cinematic — too perfect to be accidental,” Judy says. “It was as though time had folded in on itself.”

Chuck Schoendorf’s C-3 at Briggs Cunningham’s home …

Cyd took them on a tour of the 7,700-square foot 1926 Tudor, with 200 feet of waterfront on 3.55 acres. She had done extensive research on the property.

Chuck did not view it as a typical potential buyer. “He walked it like a curator — like someone reading a chapter of a book he’d studied for decades,” Judy says.

He particularly appreciated Briggs’ study. The room was crafted out of a sailing ship imported from England. It pays homage to his other love — sailing — and the yacht Columbia that he skippered to victory in the 1958 America’s Cup race.

Watching her friend look around with a mix of reverence and joy, Judy realized, “This wasn’t a showing. It was a reunion. The car, the history, the house, the moment — it all braided together. And I got to be the one who tied the ends.”

… and Chuck, with his classic car.

Because Judy lives in two worlds — real estate and car culture — she knows that a a rare automobile deserves a home worthy of it. A collector deserves spaces that honor their legacy.

And sometimes, she says, “If you’re lucky, a house and a car meet each other again, after decades apart.”

In real estate, she says, “we often talk about numbers — square footage, days on market, comps, cap rates, upgrades.

Judy Szablak

“But behind every home is a human story waiting to be honored. Behind every collector car is a lifetime of admiration, mechanics, memories and pride.

“When those worlds intersect, something rare happens. It’s something that can’t be captured on an MLS sheet.

“You can make history feel alive again. You can summon the past into the present. You can give someone a moment they didn’t even know they needed.

“And sometimes, you can make a legendary car feel — just for a second — like it found its way home.”

(92 Beachside Avenue is listed for $19.8 million. Click here for details, and to purchase.)

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