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Los Angeles mega dealer Bill Murphy purchased this rare 500X Kurtis sports car in August 1955. It is serial number 3 of 6 500X cars built by Frank Kurtis and the Kurtis-Kraft Company. Sam Hanks, an Indy driver and employee at Bill Murphy Buick, was the car's assistant engineer, crew chief and pre-race shake down driver. In the two years the car raced - September 1955 through September 1957 - it scored 9 overall wins and 18 class wins at tracks throughout Southern California from Torrey Pines to Riverside.
The Murphy Kurtis has the same basic design feature of the Kurtis Indy roadster of the era - 4120 chrome moly tubing for the frame, 4-bar torsion suspension, hand-formed aluminum panels and Halibrand quick change rear end and magnesium wheels. A 364 cubic-inch Buick nailhead engine with Hilborn fuel injection supplies the power and is coupled to a Jaguar 4-speed XK-140 transmission.
This example has the original engine, drive train, body and frame members with only fresh paint and upholstery added.
The Kurtis Kraft 500X began in the mid-1950s and was the successor to the 500M. The basis for the 500X was from the KK500C Indianapolis car. The car rested on a wheelbase that measured 96-inches and powered by an American V-8 engine. The transmission was a four-speed Jaguar unit with Zidar adapters. The entire package was clothed in aluminum panels that were easily removable thanks to the Dzus fasteners. The cycle fenders of the 500S were eliminated. The design was aerodynamic and lightweight.
In total, there were an estimated 12 500X cars built. Half were rolling chassis without the engines. Four were built as kits. © 1998-2009. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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