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Kurtis
Kraft Roadsters
"Perhaps
the greatest roadster of all time was the first racing car to be
dubbed a roadster."
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2006
Model Releases |
 1954
Indy 500® Winner
#14 Bill Vukovich/Fuel Injection Special
Order
Item# 4554 |
 1955
Indy 500®
#99 Art Cross/Belanger Special
Order
Item# 4508 |
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Conceived by Jim Travers,
built by Frank Kurtis, and driven by Bill Vukovich, a single
revolutionary KK500A chasis dominated the Indy 500® from 1952
through 1954 as no other car and driver before or since. Kurtis
continued to develop his Roadster into the KK500D that Bob
Swiekert drove to victory in 1955. For several years
Kurtis Kraft Roadsters or copies of them took many of the
starting spots at the 500, before being supplanted by later
designs.
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Previously
Released Models
Visit
www.apolloinc.org for
availability and online ordering.
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1956 Indy 500®
#7 Pat O'Connor/Anstead
Rotary Special
Order Item# 4507 |
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1954 Indy 500®
#7 Don Freeland/Bob Estes
Special
Order Item# 5001 |
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1953
Indy 500® Winner
#14 Bill Vukovich/Fuel Injection Special
Item# 4553 |
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1954 Indy 500®
#73 Mike Nazaruk/McNamara Special
Item# 4506
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1955 Indianapolis 500®
#10 Johnnie Parsons/Trio Brass Special
Item# 4505 |
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1956 Indianapolis 500®
#10 Tony Bettenhausen/Chapman Roadster
Item# 4504 |
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1956 Indianapolis 500®
#19 Rodger Ward/FilterQueen Special
Item# 4503
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1955 Indianapolis 500®
#4 Bill Vukovich/Hopkins Special
Item# 4502 |
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1955 Indianapolis
500®Winner
# 6
Bob Sweikert/John Zink Special
Item# 4501 |
History
- Frank Kurtis built his first Indianapolis 500 race car in 1941, and his cars won the race in 1950 and 1951. For
1952 he built the first "Roadster" for driver Bill Vukovich. Kurtis' innovation was to offset the engine 9" left of the centerline, so that the driveshaft ran left of the driver's seat rather than beneath it. This allowed for a lower center of gravity, better aerodynamics, and better tire wear on Indy's left turns. The car was called a "Roadster" because the driver sat low, with shoulder-high bodywork on the left side, resembling a street hot rod.
Vukovich dominated the 1952 Indy 500 in the Kurtis Kraft 500A Roadster before the steering failed nine laps from victory. He went on to win the race in 1953 and 1954 in the very same car. Kurtis continued to refine his designs, and in 1955 the series culminated in the cigar-shaped KK500C/D. On the KK500C, the offset engine could be mounted vertically or tilted 36 degrees right, while a KK500D was a "C" with provision for power steering.
Bob Sweikert, in a KK500D, won the 1955 Indy 500 which was overshadowed by
Vukovich's fatal accident. Sweikert's crew chief,
A.J. Watson, Jr., improved Kurtis' design to build a Watson Roadster that outran all the Kurtis racers at the
1956 Indy 500.
Kurtis' new models were never quite competitive again.
SPECS
Design.............................Kurtis Kraft Front Engine Roadster
Chassis............................Fabricated Box Section Rail (500A)
Tube Frame (500 C/D)
Engine.............................Meyer Drake "Offy"
270 CID / 4.5L / Inline 4-Cylinder
380 HP / DOHC 16-VALVE /
Hilborn Fuel Injection
Gearbox:.........................2-Speed Modified Model A Ford
Wheelbase:......................96IN.
Weight:............................1800 LBS.
Top Speed:......................175 MPH
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