Kurtis-Kraft 500C

Subject:
Kurtis Kraft 500C
Indy Roadster
Kit Used: Monogram 1/24th Scale

Review & model by:
Mark Huhtala
Pictures: R. Forys

[This model depicts the Kurtis-Kraft 500C car driven by Roger Ward]

Working out of his shop in Glendale, California, Frank Kurtis changed the face of American auto racing, producing a long string of innovative midget, sprint, champ and Indy cars from 1935 to 1963. Kurtis-Kraft racers, which were commonly powered by the period's legendary Offenhauser engines, won the Indy 500 an incredible five out of six years from 1950 to 1955. In the 1956 Indy race, Kurtis actually built 21 of the 33 cars entered in the starting field. This model depicts the Kurtis-Kraft 500C car driven by Roger Ward that finished 8th in this race.

The Frank Kurtis era began with the end of World War II, when American thoroughbred auto racing came to be contested by purpose-built specials rather than modified production cars. Kurtis fell in love with Indianapolis as a youth, and took his first real shot at the Speedway in 1946 when he built the supercharged V8-powered, front-wheel-drive Novi Governor Special. This car set a new track record qualifying at an average speed of 133.944 mph, a mark that stood until 1950 when superseded by another Kurtis Kraft car. That same year, a rear-drive Kurtis with independent front suspension gave both Frank and Johnnie Parsons their first Indy wins.

[The roadster had a smaller frontal area and decreased aerodynamic drag.]

[The 1952 introduction of the roadster, secured Frank Kurtis' place in history.]

Kurtis cars won 54 National Championship races, the first at Atlanta in 1946, and the last at Langhorne in 1959. Five of those victories came at Indianapolis, two by Bill Vukovich and one each from Parsons, Lee Wallard and Bob Sweikert. It was his 1952 introduction of the roadster, however, that secured Frank Kurtis' place in history. To achieve a smaller frontal area and decrease aerodynamic drag, he sat the driver alongside, rather than astride the drive shaft. Those who knew him speak of his ability to merge form and function, his reliance on the common-sense approach to problem solving, his attraction to experimentation and his tendency to surround himself with others of like mind and similar talent.

[The driver sat alongside, rather than astride the drive shaft.]

Kurtis' cars claimed their five 500s in only six years, missing the sixth in '52 when seized steering sent Vukovich into the third turn wall with nine laps to go. The next year, Kurtis-built machines filled 24 of the 33 grid slots and took the first seven finishing positions. Between '47 and '57 they collected five wins, six seconds, seven thirds, five fourths and nine fifths at Indy. Kurtis also created the revolutionary Cummins Diesel that won the pole at Indy in '52, and is famous for his groundbreaking midget designs, cars that remain cherished collector pieces, just like his Champ Cars.

Roger Ward was a Kansas born racecar driver who won the 1959 and 1962 Indianapolis 500s, and also was the 1959 and 1962 USAC Championship Car champion. His father owned an auto wrecking business in Los Angeles, and when he was 14 years old, he built his first Ford hot rod. Interestingly, he flew P-38 Lightnings in World War II, and enjoyed flying so much he thought of making it his career. He also flew B-17 Flying Fortresses, and was so adept he was retained as an instructor. After the war he was stationed in Wichita Falls, Texas where a newly built quarter mile dirt track peaked his interest in auto racing.

[In the 1956 Indy 500, this car completed the entire race finishing in 8th place.]

He won the 1951 AAA Stock Car championship, which gave him an opportunity for a rookie test at the 1951 Indianapolis 500. He passed the test and qualified for the race, but finished only 34 laps before his car suffered a broken oil line. For the next few years, bad luck continued to ruin his Indy efforts, until the 1956 race, when he completed the entire race finishing in 8th place. Following his '59 and '62 victoies, his last start in the Indianapolis 500 was in 1966 where he finished fifteenth. He had 26 victories in his 150 starts between 1950 and 1964, and he finished in the top ten in more than half of his starts. He retired in Tustin, California where he died on July 5, 2004.

[This Monogram kit was first produced in 1956.]

This Kit happens to be one of Monogram's earliest, being first produced in 1956. This example was built using a 1988 re-issue, which contained decals for Roger Ward's 1956 8th place Indy 500 car. The kit came molded entirely in red plastic, including the wheels and tires. For such an aged kit, it actually went together fairly well with a minimum of sanding and filing.

[For such an aged kit, it actually went together fairly well]

The exterior of the body was painted with Tamiya TS-49 Bright Red, while the interior was painted dull aluminum. The suspension and exhaust header were painted with Alclad chrome over a gloss black enamel base. Floquil Grimy Black was used for the tires, and the wheels were painted with Tamiya TS-30 Silver Leaf. Aluminum tubing was the only out of box addition, and was used to replace the exhaust pipe and add a drive shaft to the drivers compartment.