1962 Kurtis Aguila Racer

Sold for $165,000 at 2009 Automobiles of Arizona.
Sold for $423,500 at 2016 RM Sothebys : Amelia Island.
The word 'Aguila' is Spanish, meaning 'eagle.' This Kurtis Aguila was designed by Frank Kurtis. It was a dual-purpose car that was legal for the new proposed SCCA 'Formula 366' Monoposto class and by fitting removable fenders, as a Sports Racer. It was the idea of Texas-based former bike racer Herb Stelter who had the idea of converting an Indy car chassis into a competitive sports car.

Stelter paid $12,000 for the Kurtis Aguila, serial number 62-S-1. It was designed to race in the open-wheel, Formula 366 series for 6-liter V8-engined cars. It was Stelter who had the bright idea that the car be entered in sports-car races by integrating the removable fenders with aircraft-style Dzus fasteners so that he could race in twice the number of events.

This would be the final racing car built by Frank Kurtis. During his career, Kurtis built over 110 Indy cars and more than 2,000 midgets, sprint cars, dragsters, and sports cars.

Stelter commissioned his mechanic, Dale Burt, to install a 327 cubic-inch Chevrolet V8 engine with overhead valves. The engine was mated to a T-10 Borg-Warner manual gearbox and a Kurtis solid rear axle with a Halibrand 'Quick-Change' type rear.

The chassis is a tubular chrome-moly steel ladder frame clothed with alloy body panels. The wheelbase measures 88 inches. There are disc brakes and Halibrand magnesium wheels.

The Kurtis was driven in SCCA competition from 1962 to 1964 with no outright wins ever scored. It was a brilliantly designed car, but it was troubled by teething problems. On nearly every outing, it suffered from engine problems or crashes.

After the 1965 season, Stelter parked the car. It sat in Burt's Houston warehouse for nearly two decades until a Colorado collector purchased it. It spent another ten years in storage.

In the late 1980s, it was purchased by a Florida vintage racer named George Shelley. A full restoration soon followed and was completed in the early 1990s. Upon completion, it was used in vintage racing during the mid to late 1990s.

In the 2000s, it was sold to a Pennsylvania-based collector and enthusiast of Kurtis Kraft cars.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2016