Kurtis 500S
Kurtis 500S , Dijon July 2011: On its way to a class win in the Stirling Moss Trophy .
Kurtis 500S
“0 to 100 in 11.1 seconds!
Few cars are capable of that acceleration. The big Ferrari isn't, nor the XK-120C”
This was the December 1953 headline in Hop Up magazine, marvelling at this 'all American' sports car that could get to 60mph in 4.7 seconds, match the handling of Euro exotica on the twisty circuits of California, and dominate early 50s West Coast racing.
Frank Kurtis was born in Colorado in 1908, the son of a Croatian blacksmith, and became the pre-eminent American builder of racing cars following World War ll. He built over 550 midget race cars that were described by The National Midget Auto Racing hall of fame as "virtually unbeatable”; and 120 Indianapolis 500 cars, including five winners, making Frank Kurtis, the most successful post war builder of Indy cars.
Frank's Los Angeles based business, was an early adopter of aircraft construction techniques. Like Colin Chapman he was a chassis man, and Frank was of one the first to use aircraft tubing to make stiff frames, enabling softer torsion bar suspension, with better traction and handling than could be delivered by leaf springs.
The storey goes that in May 1952 Frank Kurtis test drove an Allard J2 at Griffith Park. Frank was a skilled driver and was shocked when he almost lost the J2 in a corner, and put this down to the Allard's split beam front suspension. Frank believed he could a build a better car, thus the 500S was born.
The 500S was essentially a two seater Indy car, powered by any engine to hand, Oldsmobile, Mercury, and later on Chevy or Chrysler Hemi, but like the Allards, they mostly used Caddy 331s.
On demanding West Coast circuits 500Ss regularly won, ahead of Ferraris, C type Jags, and Allards. 500Ss also ran in the Carrera Panamericana, and there were plans that sadly never cam to fruition to take one to Le Mans.
This car was originally built in 1954, its number 23 of the 25 built at the Kurtis factory. It has a 331 Cadillac engine, with Stromberg carbs. The transmission was often a 3 speed LaSalle or as here an XK120 box. Stopping is attempted by drums, the chrome teeth are structural not decorative; and the car is pretty much as it would have raced back in the 50s, on a Saturday afternoon in sunny California.
Kurtis 500S
Kurtis 500S , Dijon July 2011: On its way to a class win in the Stirling Moss Trophy .
Kurtis 500S
“0 to 100 in 11.1 seconds!
Few cars are capable of that acceleration. The big Ferrari isn't, nor the XK-120C”
This was the December 1953 headline in Hop Up magazine, marvelling at this 'all American' sports car that could get to 60mph in 4.7 seconds, match the handling of Euro exotica on the twisty circuits of California, and dominate early 50s West Coast racing.
Frank Kurtis was born in Colorado in 1908, the son of a Croatian blacksmith, and became the pre-eminent American builder of racing cars following World War ll. He built over 550 midget race cars that were described by The National Midget Auto Racing hall of fame as "virtually unbeatable”; and 120 Indianapolis 500 cars, including five winners, making Frank Kurtis, the most successful post war builder of Indy cars.
Frank's Los Angeles based business, was an early adopter of aircraft construction techniques. Like Colin Chapman he was a chassis man, and Frank was of one the first to use aircraft tubing to make stiff frames, enabling softer torsion bar suspension, with better traction and handling than could be delivered by leaf springs.
The storey goes that in May 1952 Frank Kurtis test drove an Allard J2 at Griffith Park. Frank was a skilled driver and was shocked when he almost lost the J2 in a corner, and put this down to the Allard's split beam front suspension. Frank believed he could a build a better car, thus the 500S was born.
The 500S was essentially a two seater Indy car, powered by any engine to hand, Oldsmobile, Mercury, and later on Chevy or Chrysler Hemi, but like the Allards, they mostly used Caddy 331s.
On demanding West Coast circuits 500Ss regularly won, ahead of Ferraris, C type Jags, and Allards. 500Ss also ran in the Carrera Panamericana, and there were plans that sadly never cam to fruition to take one to Le Mans.
This car was originally built in 1954, its number 23 of the 25 built at the Kurtis factory. It has a 331 Cadillac engine, with Stromberg carbs. The transmission was often a 3 speed LaSalle or as here an XK120 box. Stopping is attempted by drums, the chrome teeth are structural not decorative; and the car is pretty much as it would have raced back in the 50s, on a Saturday afternoon in sunny California.