1948 Kurtis Kraft KK2000 Indy Car

The 'Don Lee Special' was built by Kurtis-Kraft in 1948 for Los Angeles businessman Tommy Lee, who named the car after his father, Don. Don Lee owned Don Lee Cadillac, an exclusive Cadillac dealership in Los Angeles and Don Lee Coach and Body Works, which built custom automobiles. Builder Frank Kurtis began his career as an apprentice at the Coach and Body Works. The Don Lee Special has a Kurtis Kraft 2000 chassis and a 270 cubic-inch 4-cylinder D.O.H.C. engine. The top speed was 130 MPH. Driven by Mack Hellings, it finished 5th and 8th at Indianapolis in 1948 (127.968 mph qualifying speed) and 1949 (123.280 mph qualifying speed), respectively. The car continued to be raced until 1959, including at Ascot with Jim Hurtibuse driving. He won the heat, the semi, the Trophy Dash and the Main Event - a Clean Sweep and also the fastest time.

In 1950, the Don Lee Special was featured in the MGM film 'To Please a Lady' with Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck.