Frank P. Kurtis was the preeminent American builder of racing cars in the decade that followed World War II. Just as Harry A. Miller came to dominate the decade of the 1920s, so did Kurtis designs become the standard for racecars of the late 1940s and 1950s. The shape of his cars exemplified beauty in motion, and their mechanical underpinnings were the product of intuitive genius. At Indy, Kurtis recorded eight poles, five wins and four front rows.

Following a successful 1952 racing season, which included eight Kurtis cars finishing in the top ten places at Indy, Frank Kurtis announced the introduction of the 500S Sports Car. He designed the 500S to meet Federation Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA), the international racing organization, rules for sports cars. Approximately 20 cars were produced over a two-year period. Motor Life wrote that the Kurtis 500S “practically owned West Coast sports car racing for several years.” Speed Age said that “the Kurtis 500S ranked with the C-Type Jag, Mercedes and Ferrari in overall performance and were close competitors against such combinations as Phil Walters in the Cunningham C4R and Jim Kimberly’s 4.5 Ferrari.” Jack Ensley drove his very popular #17 Kurtis 500S to a SCCA B Modified National Championship. Four Americans raced Kurtis 500 sports cars in the 1953 La Carrera Panamericana.

With only 14 cars known to exist, purchasing an original Kurtis 500S is virtually impossible, so this stunning continuation was built by Kurtis expert Jim Mann Enterprises of Elkhart, Indiana utilizing jigs and molds that were created from an original production car by Arlen Kurtis (Frank’s son) and Jon Ward. The machine is based on, as original, a widened and shortened Indy Car frame with a solid chrome plated axle with Kurtis-Kraft mounts, Kurtis-Kraft twin trailing torsion arms on both sides, transverse torsion bar springs, Ford F100 spindles and Halibrand knock-off hubs. The rear suspension features Halibrand V8 quick-change differential and solid axle with Kurtis-Kraft twin trailing arms and torsion bar springs. The brakes are Buick aluminum-finned drums with custom finned backing plates at the front and Lincoln drums at the rear. The wheels are Halibrand with their original spinners and pressure plates.

The 500S is powered by a 331-cid, Latham axial-flow supercharged Cadillac V-8 engine that was bored .060 over when rebuilt. The engine features a mild/high performance cam, four Carter YF carbs, Vertex magneto, custom made chrome plated intake manifold, custom made chrome plated air cleaners, Stewart Warner electric fuel pump, hydraulic clutch and a foam-filled racing-quality fuel cell. The transmission is a five-speed with overdrive for easy highway driving.

The sublime bodywork features aluminum front fenders, hood, doors and trunk; while the nose, cowl and rear fenders are fiberglass. The taillights are from a 1949 Chevrolet. The interior is welcoming with leather upholstery, a Bell new-old-stock 15-inch steering wheel, Stewart Warner curved-glass instrumentation and a Jones tachometer.

The Kurtis-Kraft has recently received improved supercharger drive alignment, new hydraulic clutch cylinder, new dual circuit brake master cylinder, improved pedal location, improved steering ratio and rebuilt front wheel spindles.

This is an ultimate “sleeper” that demonstrates great style; serious drivers are asked to strap in, hang on and drive a truly iconic American racing roadster.