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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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Conceived by Jim Travers, built by Frank Kurtis, and driven by Bill Vukovich, a single revolutionary KK500A chassis 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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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.
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