1953 Kurtis 500B at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

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Information on the 1953 Kurtis 500B

More photographs of the 1953 Kurtis 500B

Frank Kurtis designed and manufactured automobiles, beginning in 1949. His initial offering was the Kurtis Sports with a distinctive two-seat body and a Ford engine. This car evolved into the Muntz Jet. Next came the Kurtis 500-S, a race car strikingly similar to the Indy race car Kurtis. Then came the 500 KK, featuring a tubular chassis, and clothed in the buyers choice of fiberglass or metal bodywork.

This is KK500B, VIN C-361-53, was initially owned by Pat Clancy of Memphis. Jim Davies qualified this car for the 1953 and 1955 Indy 500s, where it finished 10th and 3rd. It was a second alternate in the 1954 race. It was wrecked in 1955 by Al Herman, and has been restored to the #15, 1955 Bardahl Special livery. The Bardahl Special is used each year in the Indy 500 vintage car event, where it has been driven over 100 miles.

For the Indianapolis 500 in 1948 and 1949, Pat Clancy of Memphis, Tennessee entered a six-wheeled roadster. He later turned to designer Frank Kurtis who designed and built this Kurtis Kraft 500 KK car in 1953, which was driven by Jimmy Davies as the 'Pat Clancy Special' at Indianapolis in the Indianapolis 500 in 1954, finishing in 10th place. In 1955, the car was sponsored by the Bardahl Oil Company, and it finished in 3rd place again driven by Jimmy Davies at an average speed of 126.299 mph. Its last appearance at the Brickyard was in 1956 driven by Al Herman. After a 74th lap crash, the car was out and its racing days were over.

The car has also been shown successfully, winning its class multiple times at The Pebble Beach Concours.

Also photographed at :

Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance >> Kurtis-Race

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