1955 Sorrell SR-100

The Sorrell Kurtis SR-100 was a hand-built, low-production sports car constructed on a Kurtis 500KK racing chassis, powered by a variety of engines (including a 302 cubic-inch GMC inline 6-cylinder unit), and clothed with fiberglass or alloy coachwork. It is believed that Sorrell built seven fiberglass SR-100s for customers, with six of them actually leaving his shop (the Sorrell-Manning Special remained in the Sorrell collection until his passing).

Frank Kurtis
Frank Kurtis was legendary for his racing cars that competed at Indianapolis, his midget racers, and his sports cars which later evolved into the Muntz Road Jet. The majority of the cars entered in the Indianapolis race during the early 1950s were designed and built by Kurtis Kraft.

The Kurtis 500KK was essentially a 500S based on the very successful 500B Indianapolis Roadster. The engine and bodywork of the 500KK were left to the discretion of the buyer, allowing them to customize the vehicle to their needs. It had a tubular frame and torsion bar suspension.

Bob worked with his father from their shop on Felton Avenue in Inglewood, California.

SR-100 Sports Racer
An aluminum-bodied SR-100 Sports Racer was introduced in 1953 at the Petersen Motorama event, and its overwhelmingly positive reception prompted Sorrell to create a fiberglass-bodied version for production. The original SR-100 (crafted by California Metal Shaping), built for the Petersen Motorama, was formed from aluminum and remained in Bob Sorrell's personal collection until his passing in the summer of 2003. Dick Laine bought a blue SR-100 with a GMC 6 for street use. A red, white, and blue SR-100 was built for Denny Larsen with a unique gullwing hardtop for the 1954 Bonneville speed trials. Larsen's car was later featured on the cover of Rod & Custom (May 1955). On the salt, the car was driven to a speed of 175 mph. The example built for Mickey Thompson is believed to have competed in the 1956 Mexican Road Race.

An additional three 'SR-200' bodies were made. The original SR-200 competed at Riverside Raceway on two occasions - once in 1961 and again the following year. During the 1962 race, the car was involved in an accident and caught on fire. A loader was brought in to extinguish the fire, burring the car under a mount of dirt. This would be the car's final resting place, although there are rumors the car was recently unearthed.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2025