1947 KURTIS KRAFT OFFENHAUSER MIDGET RACE CAR | This 1947 Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser Midget race car was built by legendary race car designer Frank Kurtis. It shows a red and yellow racing livery and proudly wears the number 24. The engine has been drained of oil for storage. This car features the legendary Offenhauser 4 cylinder 420hp racing engine. Whether this car remains a display or is returned to the racetrack it is sure to delight the buyer. Frank Peter Kuretich was born in Crested Butte, Colorado on January 25, 1908. His blacksmith father immigrated from Croatia in 1902. A true American success story, Frank learned all he could from his father helping him repair both horse-drawn wagons and early automobiles. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1922 and young Frank got a job at the Don Lee Cadillac agency by lying about his age. He built a custom roadster body for his first car as well as working on the Don Lee race team as a mechanic and builder. Word spread of his prodigious ability, and he was soon able to support himself by doing fabrication and repairs in a four car garage behind his home. He built his business doing custom work for race teams until 1932 when he started building cars under his own Kurtis-Kraft brand. He became known as a manufacturer of mini racing cars known as "midget car". This class utilized engines of around 400 hp and weighed less than 1000 lbs. He produced as many as 550 of them, as well as another 600 kits that could be built by the buyer or a trusted shop. Midget races were very popular in the United States in the middle of the century, and Kurtis' vehicles were known as the best. The racing pedigree of his early midget cars or go-carts as he called them was unmatched. Not a titled item - Bill of sale item only. This bank seized vehicle will sell at public auction on Saturday, June 25th. Location: Barber Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. www.hendersonmotorseries.com for all the details. Offered without reserve.
