1956 Kurtis 500F

This Kurtis-Kraft-500F Novi Replica is famously known in American racing history as 'the fastest car never to win the Indy 500.' These Novi Indy racers were the work of Novi, Michigan industrialist-sportsman Lew Welch, who first entered the 500 in 1946 with a front-wheel drive racer built by Frank Kurtis and driven by Harley Davidson racing legend Ralph Hepburn. On the car's first outing, it set a new lap record, and the next 16 years, Welch's Novis returned to the Brickyard, disappointing and thrilling their many fans in one of the longest unrequited love affairs in racing history.

This recreation was the work of Brock Yates. It was built from the ground up by the automotive builder Gary Babineau. It has been hand-painted in Pearlized Cream with Gold Leaf numbers outlined in Red showing 31. The rear wheel drive chassis uses front and rear solid axles with torsion bar suspension on a 96-inch wheelbase, its scooped nose feeding a supercharged Maserati DOHC V-8 engine that produces 600 HP and is capable of catapulting the car to 185 MPH.

The car made its debut at the 2009 Greenwich Concours d'Elegance and was followed by a solo lap at the Watkins Glen Vintage Grand Prix, where it was driven by Any Hurtubise, who wore a replica of the driving suit worn by his father Jim when he drove the original Novi.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2013