Kurtis Kraft

Kurtis Kraft

Kurtis Kraft was a designer and builder of race cars. The company was founded by Frank Kurtis.

Kurtis Kraft designed and built midget cars, quartermidgets, sports cars, sprint cars and Champ Cars.

Kurtis Kraft was started when Kurtis built his own midget car chassis in the late 1930s. [http://www.worthyofhonor.com/Inductees/Frank_Kurtis.htm Biography] at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame]

Kurtis built some very low glass-fibre bodied two-seaters sports cars under his own name in Glendale, California between 1949 and 1955. Ford (US) running gear was used. About 36 cars had been made when the licence was sold to Madman Muntz who built the Muntz Jet. In 1954 and 1955, road versions of their Indianapolis racers were offered.

Kurtis-Kraft created over 550 ready-to-run midget cars, and 600 kits. The Kurtis-Kraft chassis midget car featured a smaller version of the Offenhauser motor. The National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame describes the combination as "virtually unbeatable for over twenty years." Kurtis-Kraft created 120 Indianapolis 500 cars, including five winners. Kurtis sold the midget car portion of the business to Johnny Pawl in the late 1950s, and the quarter midget business to Ralph Potter in 1962.

Frank Kurtis was the first non-driver inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (U.S.).

The FIA World Drivers' Championship included the Indianapolis 500 between 1950 and 1960, so many Kurtis-Kraft cars are credited with competing in that championship. One Kurtis midget car was also entered in the 1959 Formula One United States Grand Prix driven by Rodger Ward. It was not designed for European-style road racing and with an undersized engine it circulated at the back of the field for 20 laps before retiring with clutch problems. [cite book
last = Hodges
first = David
coauthors =
title = A-Z of Formula Racing Cars 1945–1990
publisher = Bay View books
date=1998
page=p.128
id = ISBN 1-901432-17-3 ]

World Championship results

From 1950 to 1960, the Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship.

(Note: Race winners in bold.)

References

External links


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