Frank Kurtis arguably did more for American racing than any other race car constructor. Between the early 1930s and 1960s, and In everything from his Midgets (over 600 produced) and his Indy Roadsters that dominated the Indy 500 for more than a decade, there isn’t another manufacturer who put nearly as many future legends behind the wheel of a car they could race (and win) in.
The iconic 500S is the two-seat sports racing version of Kurtis’ famed 500A Indy race car. Just under 30 of these cycle-fendered beasts were produced, and they certainly weren’t a cheap date in 1953 at $5,000 for a rolling chassis supplied less engine and transmission. As a comparison, a new 1953 Corvette, with an engine and transmission, was $3,500.
Most 5008 cars were raced, but a few were purchased to simply be used as road weapons by well to do sports car enthusiasts. The 500S, with its Indy-proven stout ladder frame, torsion bar suspension, featherweight body and any number of potent American V8 engines under the hood Is about as exciting as a car can get, ether being raced or not!
This car is Chassis #KK53011C, or #11 for short. By 1959 it was fitted with a “full house” 1958 283 CID Corvette engine with 6x2bbl induction and a Corvette T-10 transmission and raced by Jerry McGee and Bill McDowell extensively in period SCCA competition throughout California at venues such as Riverside, Pomona, Santa Barbara, and Del Mar. In fact, it is pictured on the cover of the March, 1961 issue of the SCCA’s “Sports Car” magazine- crashing through hay bales no less! McGee had enough success with #11 to have It featured in Bob Rolofson’s 1960 book entitled “Sportscar Specials” where it was simply called the McGee Kurtis-Corvette. McGee raced the car through the late 1960s, at one point even with 427 Ford power, and eventually sold it to a prominent race car collector In 1975. It then went through a few other owners before finally being purchased and restored by a Kurtis expert in 2006. Since that time #11 has received FIA papers and has been raced at the Monterey Historics.
I have always been a fan of the cars of Frank Kurtis, the “Golden Age” of Indy Roadsters, and early American road racing. I couldn’t think of a better car to blend all of these passions together than old #11! It is also the perfect book end for our 1953 Allard J2X. After all, if one of these brutes doesn’t make you feel alive you’re probably not.
