1955 Kurtis 500SX Roadster

Frank Kurtis was born in Crested Butte, Colorado, on January 8th, 1908. He learned metal shaping skills at a young age in his father's blacksmith shop, and later worked under legendary designer Harley Earl while at Don Lee Coach and Bodyworks in Los Angeles. The Depression ended his tenure at Don Lee and he began designing and building cars on his own. From the late-1930s to the late-1950s, Frank Kurtis became America's most successful racing car constructor. He built about 1,100 midgets (including kits) along with 128 Indianapolis race cars, both of which dominated the sport. Kurtis-built race cars won the Indianapolis 500 in 1950, 1951, 1953, and 1955.

This 1955 Kurtis 500SX was the fourth 'SX' manufactured. The first six cars, built as rollers not kits, carried an 'SX' designation. The remaining few 'kits' manufactured probably were Xs. This example was 'reportedly' the only LWB model produced.

In late 1955, this car was purchased from Frank Kurtis (Kurtis Kraft) by Joe Zidar of Denver, CO, and it was known as the 'Zidar Special.' The car was raced primarily on the West Coast at such tracks as Riverside, Pomona, Laguna Seca, and as far East as Las Vegas.

The aluminum-bodied car is powered by a 321 cubic-inch V8 engine and uses Hilborn mechanical fuel injection. The on-board hand pump pressurizes the fuel tank and primes the injection system. The wheels are a pin drive, Rudge style knock-off, made of magnesium and were manufactured by Halibrand. The brakes are four-wheel disc plus one hydraulically operated disc emergency brake. Solid axle front and rear are used with a quick-change rear end.