1957 Kurtis Kraft 500G Roadster

Kurtis Kraft built two 500G roadsters in 1956, This car was sold to George Walthur Jr. and raced in the Indianapolis 500 as the Dayton Steel Foundry Special in 1957 and in 1958 with rookie Mike McGill driving. It qualified 18th, 1957, wearing number 77 in but was eliminated after 101 laps.

It is most famous as being the only Indy car that Juan Manuel Fangio ever drove. The five-time Formula 1 World Champion was facing a difficult year in 1958, with his Maserati team suffering severe fiscal problems. Just two months earlier, after being kidnapped from the lobby of his Havana hotel by Castro's forces during the Cuban Grand Prix, Fangio was approached about racing the Dayton Steel Special in the Indy 500. He accepted.

In May 1958, Fangio passed his 'rookie test' in this car, driving five successive laps sets at 115mph, 125mph, and 135mph. The car was not running well for qualifying, though, and Fangio did not take part in the race.

McGill raced this Daytona Steel Foundry KK500G/Offy again in the '58 '500' still wearing number 77. He qualified 31st and finished 17th, earning less than half of Fangio's per-race fee during his championship-winning Mercedes-Benz days of 1954 and '55.

Historic racing collector Nick Mason acquired the car in the 1980s and restored it before the current owner bought it in the 1990s. It has made several appearances since, including the Juan Manuel Fangio tribute at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed.