1949 Kurtis Pearson FWD Special

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway closed in late 1941 due to World War II, and over the next four years, the track was neglected and fell into a state of disrepair. Tony Hulman acquired the Speedway in November 1945, and following repairs and cleaning, it re-opened in 1946. The first Indianapolis 500, presided over by a new track owner and the first following World War II, was held on May 30, 1946. The race was won by George Robson with an average speed of 114.8 MPH.

The 1947 Indianapolis 500 was held on May 30, 1947, and was the opening round of the 11 races that made up the 1947 AAA Championship Car season. Mauri Rose won the Indy 500 in 1947 and 1948 in one of two Offenhauser-powered, Emil Diedt-built machines commissioned in late 1946 by former driver Lou Moore and underwritten by the Blue Crown Spark Plug Company. Bill Holland drove the twin sister car to second place in 1947 and 1948 and won in 1949.

These Blue Crown Racing Specials sat low to the ground because they employed front-wheel drive, a feature greatly favored by Moore when the track became slippery.

When racecar owner Gil Pearson set his sights on Indianapolis in the post-WWII era, he chose to emulate Lou Moore's Blue Crown Specials. Two identical front-wheel drive cars were designed by Leo Goosen (of Miller fame) and Frank Kurtis was commissioned to shape the aluminum bodies and fabricate frame rails, fuel, and oil tanks. The engine was a 270 cubic-inch Meyer-Drake Offenhauser engine with a pair of Riley carburetors and a Bosch JO8 magneto.

Gil Pearson
Gil Pearson of Ocean Park, California, was very successful in the years leading up to World War II, with his ARA 'Big Car' Sta-Lube Special winning many races around California's Bay Area. The chassis and body paneling was built by Sprint Car Hall of Fame members Clyde Adams and Frank Kurtis, and its engine was a 215 cubic-inch Miller-Schofield/DO Cragar with special crankshaft, dual-overhead cam, five-main bearing, and dry sump lubrication.

Frank Kurtis
Frank Kurtis was a designer and builder of midget cars, quarter-midgets, sports cars, sprint cars, Indy cars, and Formula One cars. During his career, he built over 550 ready-to-run midget cars, and 600 kits. Of the Indianapolis 500 cars he built, five were winners.

The Kurtis Kraft 'Pearson FWD' Special
The first of the 'Pearson FWD' Specials was chassis number 325, and it was completed in the summer of 1949 and wore a blue paint scheme. Driver Fred Agabashian was photographed with it when it was displayed at the first Oakland roadster show. He later drove it on the dry lakebed at Muroc (Rogers) to a reported top speed of 176 mph.

Pearson attempted to sell the not-yet-completed 'FWD Special' to marquee racing outfits through the spring of 1949 but was unable to find a buyer willing to pay the high asking price of $20,000. Without a buyer, Pearson made the car available to Hollywood's production studios. On July 14, 1949, the management agency and production studio for Hollywood star Mickey Rooney (Rooney-Stiefel Inc.) procured the Indianapolis roadster for use in their racing film, The Big Wheel, released in November 1949. Pearson may have rented the car to MGM Studios for the filming of the Clark Gable and Barabara Stanwyck classic, To Please A Lady, released in October 1950.

When its movie career ended, chassis 325 joined its unfinished sister car in the garage behind Pearson's Santa Monica home. In 1994, the dormant cars were acquired by a collector along with all their respective technical drawings.

This FWD Special was given a no-expense-spared restoration and subsequently exhibited at the 2001 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2024