Kurtis Kraft

Kurtis Kraft was an American racing-car design and manufacturing business founded by Frank Kurtis. Based in Glendale, California, the company became one of the most significant builders in postwar American motorsport, producing purpose-built competition cars as well as a small number of road-going sports cars. Its portfolio included midget cars, quarter midgets, sports cars, sprint cars, Bonneville speed-record cars, and cars built for the United States Auto Club Championship and Indianapolis 500. The business originated in the late 1930s, when Frank Kurtis constructed his own midget-car chassis. Midget racing was a major form of American short-track competition, and Kurtis Kraft developed a reputation for light, strong chassis that could be supplied either as complete race cars or in partially finished form. The company ultimately produced about 387 midget cars, including examples delivered without engines and parts packages that may have functioned as kits. Kurtis Kraft midgets commonly used a smaller version of the Offenhauser racing engine. The resulting chassis-and-engine combination was regarded by the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame as exceptionally successful for more than two decades. Kurtis Kraft expanded beyond midgets into larger and more specialized competition categories. It built approximately 120 cars for the Indianapolis 500, five of which won the race. Because the Indianapolis 500 counted toward the FIA World Drivers' Championship from 1950 through 1960, a number of Kurtis Kraft entries are also recorded in the history of that championship. The company’s cars were designed primarily for American oval racing rather than international road racing. One Kurtis midget was entered in the 1959 Formula One United States Grand Prix with Rodger Ward, but its undersized engine and unsuitable design left it running at the rear before a clutch failure ended its race. From 1949 to 1955, Kurtis Kraft also produced a limited run of low-slung fiberglass-bodied two-seat sports cars in Glendale. These cars used Ford running gear and were made in very small numbers, with approximately 36 completed. The sports-car license was later sold to Earl “Madman” Muntz, whose subsequent Muntz Jet developed the concept into a separate commercial product. Road versions of Kurtis Kraft’s Indianapolis racers were offered in 1954 and 1955, further demonstrating the company’s attempt to connect its racing technology with enthusiast-oriented road cars. The company’s activities were later divided among other operators. Frank Kurtis sold the midget-car portion of the business to Johnny Pawl in the late 1950s and the quarter-midget operation to Ralph Potter in 1962. These transfers make the continuity of Kurtis Kraft as an operating company difficult to establish from the available reference material. Its historical importance, however, remains clear: Kurtis Kraft helped define American midget and championship-car construction during the postwar era, and its cars remain associated with Indianapolis 500 success, specialist craftsmanship, and lightweight competition engineering.

Kurtis Kraft emerged from Frank Kurtis’s work as a designer and builder of American racing machinery. In the late 1930s, Kurtis built a midget-car chassis of his own, establishing the foundation for a business that would become one of the most prolific specialist constructors in American oval racing. The company operated from Glendale, California, where it developed cars for a range of competition categories rather than concentrating on a single series. Midget cars formed the core of the business. Kurtis Kraft produced roughly 387 examples, some as complete ready-to-race cars and others as chassis or incomplete units. Parts for additional cars were also sold, possibly in kit form. The company’s midget chassis was paired with a reduced-size version of the Offenhauser engine, creating a combination that the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame later characterized as almost unbeatable for more than twenty years. This success made Kurtis Kraft a central name in postwar American midget racing. The company also built quarter midgets, sprint cars, Bonneville cars, and larger championship machinery. Its Indianapolis 500 output totaled approximately 120 cars, including five race winners. Since the Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Drivers’ Championship between 1950 and 1960, many Kurtis Kraft cars are included in records of that championship period. The company’s engineering was optimized for American racing environments, especially oval tracks, rather than for the international-style road circuits used by Formula One. That distinction was illustrated at the 1959 Formula One United States Grand Prix, where Rodger Ward drove a Kurtis midget. The car was not suited to the event, carried an undersized engine, completed only 20 laps near the back of the field, and retired with clutch trouble. Kurtis Kraft briefly extended its identity into road cars. Between 1949 and 1955, it built approximately 36 low fiberglass-bodied two-seat sports cars in Glendale. Ford running gear was used, and the cars were positioned as lightweight performance vehicles derived from the company’s competition expertise. The license was subsequently sold to Earl “Madman” Muntz, who produced the Muntz Jet. In 1954 and 1955, Kurtis Kraft also offered road versions of its Indianapolis racers, although these remained niche products rather than mass-market automobiles. Ownership and operations were later separated by product category. Frank Kurtis sold the midget-car part of the business to Johnny Pawl in the late 1950s and transferred the quarter-midget business to Ralph Potter in 1962. The available reference material does not establish a single later corporate structure or a definitive date at which all Kurtis Kraft activity ended. The brand is therefore best understood as a historically important American racing-construction name whose influence continued through its cars, designs, and transferred operations. Frank Kurtis’s importance to the field was also recognized institutionally. He became the first non-driver inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Zeke Justice, later associated with the Justice Brothers, was the first employee at Kurtis-Kraft, and Zeke and Ed Justice both worked for the company after the Second World War. These connections illustrate the business’s role as a training ground and technical center within American motorsport. Today, Kurtis Kraft is chiefly remembered for its midget-racing dominance, Indianapolis 500 winners, specialist chassis construction, and small-scale sports-car production.

• 1962

  Quarter-midget operation transferred

  [1]Kurtis Kraften.wikipedia.org

  The quarter-midget portion of the business was sold to Ralph Potter.

• 1959

  Kurtis midget appears at the Formula One United States Grand Prix

  [1]Kurtis Kraften.wikipedia.org

  Rodger Ward entered a Kurtis midget at the 1959 United States Grand Prix; the car completed 20 laps and retired because of clutch problems.

• 1954

  Road versions of Indianapolis racers offered

  [1]Kurtis Kraften.wikipedia.org

  Kurtis Kraft offered road-going versions of its Indianapolis racing cars in 1954 and 1955.

• 1950

  Kurtis Kraft cars enter the Indianapolis championship era

  [1]Kurtis Kraften.wikipedia.org

  The Indianapolis 500 became part of the FIA World Drivers’ Championship, bringing many Kurtis Kraft entries into the championship’s historical record.

• 1949

  Kurtis sports-car production begins

  [1]Kurtis Kraften.wikipedia.org

  Kurtis Kraft began producing low fiberglass-bodied two-seat sports cars in Glendale, using Ford running gear.

• Frank Kurtis develops the first Kurtis midget chassis

  [1]Kurtis Kraften.wikipedia.org

  Frank Kurtis’s construction of a midget-car chassis in the late 1930s established the basis for the Kurtis Kraft business.

• Midget-car operation sold to Johnny Pawl

  [1]Kurtis Kraften.wikipedia.org

  Frank Kurtis sold the midget-car portion of the business to Johnny Pawl in the late 1950s.

Specialist American motorsport constructor focused on lightweight, purpose-built racing cars and limited-production performance vehicles.

• Midget racing cars

  Kurtis Kraft midget cars

  The company’s principal product line consisted of lightweight midget racing cars and chassis. About 387 were produced, with some delivered as complete race-ready vehicles and others supplied without engines or in incomplete form. Kurtis Kraft midgets were commonly paired with a smaller Offenhauser engine and achieved a reputation for exceptional competitiveness in American short-track racing.

• Junior racing cars

  Kurtis Kraft quarter midgets

  Kurtis Kraft also produced quarter-midget cars, a smaller category of racing machinery used in entry-level and youth-oriented competition. The quarter-midget portion of the business was later sold to Ralph Potter in 1962.

• Championship racing cars

  Kurtis Kraft Indianapolis cars

  Kurtis Kraft built approximately 120 cars for the Indianapolis 500 and related American championship competition. Five of these cars won the Indianapolis 500. Their significance is amplified by the race’s inclusion in the FIA World Drivers’ Championship from 1950 through 1960.

• Sports cars · 1949

  Kurtis Sport Cars

  Produced in Glendale from 1949 to 1955, Kurtis Sport Cars were low, fiberglass-bodied two-seaters using Ford running gear. Approximately 36 were made. The license was later sold to Earl “Madman” Muntz, who developed the Muntz Jet as a separate vehicle.

• 1962

  Sale of the quarter-midget business to Ralph PotterM&A

  Background

  Kurtis Kraft continued separating its racing activities by category.

  Action taken

  The quarter-midget portion of the business was sold to Ralph Potter.

  Aftermath

  The transaction further reduced the scope of the original Kurtis Kraft operation.

  Source

• Sale of the midget-car business to Johnny PawlM&A

  Background

  Kurtis Kraft separated parts of its business as its product lines developed independently.

  Action taken

  Frank Kurtis sold the midget-car portion of the business to Johnny Pawl in the late 1950s.

  Aftermath

  The transfer marked the division of one of Kurtis Kraft’s core activities from the original business.

  Source

• Transfer of the Kurtis sports-car license to MuntzStrategy

  Background

  Kurtis Kraft produced a limited number of fiberglass sports cars but did not develop them into a high-volume automobile business.

  Action taken

  The sports-car license was sold to Earl “Madman” Muntz.

  Aftermath

  Muntz used the concept as the basis for the Muntz Jet, a separate American performance car.

  Source

1. 1Kurtis Kraften.wikipedia.org