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In 1955, Ferrari was overwhelmed by Mercedes, in both Grand Prix and sports car racing. They announced that the Bardahl Kurtis would not be ready for Indy because of the time it took to create a new transmission case and gears to adapt the Ferrari motor to the special Offenhauser three-speed gearbox that came with the car.
After Ferrari lost interest, the Kurtis was farmed out to the Maserati brothers in early 1956. At that point, they were running OSCA in Bologna, a ;manufacturer of small capacity sports racing cars. The Maseratis finished the Kurtis and it came to Indianapolis in 1956, with Farina still the assigned driver. Although he had tested the car on the high banking at Monza, Farina was unfamiliar with the Indy oval and, once there, time ran out before he got up to speed. The proud Italian was offended after he could only lap the Speedway at 134mph, when an unknown, Earl Motter, took the car around at 136. The slowest qualifier that year averaged 139, and the Kurtis Ferrari was not seen at the Speedway again.
Years later, Luigi Chinette, Jr. found the car in Switzerland and returned it to the United States. He engaged Francois Sicord, who restored it over a number of years. The Kurtis-Ferrari was an interesting concept and with proper development might well have been a contender.
1956 Kurtis 500D |
|
| Year | 1956 |
| Make | Kurtis |
| Model | 500D |
| Engine Location | Front |
| Drive Type | Rear Wheel |
| Combined MPG | 0.00 |
| Engine | |
| Engine Configuration | I |
| Cylinders | 6 |
| Engine | 3 Weber 50 DCOA 3 Carburetors |
| Aspiration/Induction | Normal |
| Displacement | 4.40 L | 268.5 cu in. | 4400.7 cc. |
| Valves | 12 valves. 2 valves per cylinder. |
| Valvetrain | DOHC |
| Horsepower | 330.00 HP (242.9 KW) @ 6000.00 RPM |
| HP / Liter | 75.0 BHP / Liter |
| Compression Ratio | 8.5:1 |
| Fuel Type | Gasoline - Petrol |
| Fuel Feed | Carburetor |
| 3 carburetors | |
| Block | Aluminum |
| Head | Aluminum |
| Standard Transmission | |
| Gears | 3 |
| Transmission | Manual |
| Offenhauser | |
| View Specifications |
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| Kurtis History |
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