In 1956, while he was a race car builder at Kurtis Kraft (a famous builder of Indy race cars during the 1950s), Art Ingels assembled the first one of what?
"speeds exceeding , while recreational go-karts intended for the general public may be limited to lower speeds. American Art Ingels is generally accepted to be the father of karting. A veteran hot rodder and a race car builder at Kurtis Kraft, he built the first kart in Southern California in 1956. Instantly popular, Karting rapidly spread to other countries, and currently has a large following in Europe. The first kart manufacturer was an American company, Go Kart Manufacturing Co. (1958). In 1959, McCulloch was the first company to produce engines for karts. Its first engine, the McCulloch MC-10, was an"
"clutch problems. From 1950 to 1960, the Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship. Kurtis Kraft Kurtis Kraft was an American designer and builder of race cars. The company built midget cars, quartermidgets, sports cars, sprint cars, Bonneville cars, and USAC Championship cars. It was founded by Frank Kurtis when he built his own midget car chassis in the late 1930s. Kurtis built some very low fiberglass bodied two-seaters sports cars under his own name in Glendale, California between 1949 and 1955. Ford (US) running gear was used. About 36 cars had been made when the licence was"
"of their Indianapolis racers were offered. Kurtis Kraft created over 550 ready-to-run midget cars, and 600 kits. The Kurtis Kraft chassis midget car featured a smaller version of the Offenhauser motor. The National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame describes the combination as ""virtually unbeatable for over twenty years."" Kurtis Kraft also created 120 Indianapolis 500 cars, including five winners. Kurtis sold the midget car portion of the business to Johnny Pawl in the late 1950s, and the quarter midget business to Ralph Potter in 1962. Frank Kurtis was the first non-driver inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall"
"Kurtis Kraft Kurtis Kraft was an American designer and builder of race cars. The company built midget cars, quartermidgets, sports cars, sprint cars, Bonneville cars, and USAC Championship cars. It was founded by Frank Kurtis when he built his own midget car chassis in the late 1930s. Kurtis built some very low fiberglass bodied two-seaters sports cars under his own name in Glendale, California between 1949 and 1955. Ford (US) running gear was used. About 36 cars had been made when the licence was sold to Earl ""Madman"" Muntz who built the Muntz Jet. In 1954 and 1955, road versions"
"such as autocross or rallycross, while desert races and rally-raids such as the Paris-Dakar, Master Rallye or European ""bajas"" are called ""cross-country rallies."" The modern kart was invented by Art Ingels, a fabricator at the Indianapolis-car manufacturer Kurtis-Kraft, in Southern California in 1956. Ingels took a small chainsaw engine and mounted it to a simple tube-frame chassis weighing less than 100 lb. Ingels, and everyone else who drove the kart, were startled at its performance capabilities. The sport soon blossomed in Southern California, and quickly spread around the world. Although often seen as the entry point for serious racers into"
"The Kurtis Kraft chassis midget car featured a smaller version of the Offenhauser motor. The National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame describes the combination as ""virtually unbeatable for over twenty years."" Kurtis Kraft created 120 Indianapolis 500 cars, including five winners. Kurtis sold his midget car business to Johnny Pawl in the late 1950s, and his quarter midget business to Ralph Potter in 1962. Kurtis died in February 1987. His father Frank (Franjo) Andrew Kuretić was born in , Croatia. Franjo worked as a blacksmith in the nearby Brod Moravice. He followed his brother Mijo (Mihovil) to the United"
"Frank Kurtis Frank Kurtis, born Frank Peter Kuretich (January 25, 1908 – February 17, 1987), was an American racing car designer. He designed and built midget cars, quarter-midgets, sports cars, sprint cars, Indy cars, and Formula One cars. He was the founder of Kurtis Kraft. Kurtis was born in Crested Butte, Colorado. He began working with fabrication when he was hired by Willet Brown and Tom Lee to rework Don Lee Racing Team's midget car bodies. Kurtis started Kurtis Kraft when he built his own midget car chassis in the late 1930s. In 1941, Kurtis designed a car named The"
"its parts and tooling, from Kurtis Kraft for $200,000. Sam Hanks, who would later win the 1957 Indianapolis 500, contributed to the redesign and re-engineering necessary to create the Muntz. Like its predecessor, the Jet was also a two-door convertible, although it was built with a solid hardtop. Two different V8 engines were used in the Jet: a Cadillac engine, and a Lincoln motor. The first Jets to be constructed, in Glendale, California, had the Cadillac engine and aluminum bodies, while those built later in Illinois instead had the Lincoln engine and steel bodies. The cars were equipped with General"
"of Fame (U.S.). Zeke Justice and Ed Justice of the Justice Brothers both worked at Kurtis-Kraft after World War II. Zeke Justice was the first employee at Kurtis-Kraft. The FIA World Drivers' Championship included the Indianapolis 500 between 1950 and 1960, so many Kurtis Kraft cars are credited with competing in that championship. One Kurtis midget car was also entered in the 1959 Formula One United States Grand Prix driven by Rodger Ward. It was not designed for European-style road racing and with an undersized engine it circulated at the back of the field for 20 laps before retiring with"
"States in 1902, where he married Appolonia Mary (Marija Apolonija), originally from Siverić in Croatia on April 22, 1907 in Utah. Frank Kurtis Frank Kurtis, born Frank Peter Kuretich (January 25, 1908 – February 17, 1987), was an American racing car designer. He designed and built midget cars, quarter-midgets, sports cars, sprint cars, Indy cars, and Formula One cars. He was the founder of Kurtis Kraft. Kurtis was born in Crested Butte, Colorado. He began working with fabrication when he was hired by Willet Brown and Tom Lee to rework Don Lee Racing Team's midget car bodies. Kurtis started Kurtis"
"most materials such as clothing, upholstery and linen. The lint roller was co-invented in 1956 by American electrical engineer Nicholas McKay and his wife Helen. 1956 Kart racing Kart racing or karting is a variant of an open-wheel motor sport with simple, small four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox karts depending on the design. Karts vary widely in speed and some can reach speeds exceeding 160 mph, while go-karts intended for the general public in amusement parks may be limited to speeds of no more than 15 mph. In the summer of 1956, hot rod veteran Art Ingels built"
"participation of the front-engined Roadsters. The first ""roadster"" is regarded to have been built and entered by Frank Kurtis in 1952. During this time (1950–1960), the Indy 500 awarded points towards the World Championship of Drivers. However, very few European entries even made an attempt to race at Indy. Noteworthy moments include the emotional victory by Sam Hanks in 1957, as well as the tragic death of two-time winner Bill Vukovich. The famous 1960 duel between Rodger Ward and Jim Rathmann set the race record for the most lead changes in Indy 500 history, a record that remarkably would not"
"a 1959 Kurtis Kraft 500J, owned and entered by Roy McKay of Dayton, Ohio. Charlie Altfater was the mechanic. The car has survived in largely original condition and is now restored to appear as it did in the 1960 race, and can occasionally be seen participating in vintage races, as it did at the 2008 Monterey historics. The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Gene Force participated in 2 World Championship races. He started on the pole 0"
"if I joined the Communist Party?"" In 1948, race car designer and Kurtis-Kraft founder Frank Kurtis attempted to market a new sports car, the two-seater Kurtis Kraft Sport. Only 36 units had been sold by 1950. In 1951, for just $200,000 ($ in 2019) Kurtis sold the cars' manufacturing license to Muntz, who quickly rebadged them as the ""Muntz Jet"". Initial production of the Jet took place in Glendale, where Muntz extended the two-seater Kurtis Kraft Sport's body by , making it a four-seater, and exchanged the Ford V8 engine for a larger Cadillac V8. Later, after making just 28"
"the Speedway in 1958. He founded Autoresearch, Inc. in Anaheim, California, which specialized in building midget cars and sprint cars. His chassis won several National Midget Championships in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He became a collector and restorer of old race cars. He built Evel Knievel's Snake River Canyon Sky cycle. Don Edmunds Don Edmunds (September 23, 1930 Santa Ana, California) was an American racecar driver and car builder. He changed the nose on his first Kurtis midget car from Kurtis' design to his own. Indy car builder Eddie Kuzma hired Edmunds to fix the dent in Jimmy"
"Kurtis Kraft–Chrysler to Monza in April 1957 in order to conduct tests on tyres made for the event. American driver Pat O'Connor completed on the oval, setting a best lap speed of , nearly faster than lap speeds reached at Indianapolis. The rules for the race were based on those used by USAC in North America. Engines were limited to in naturally aspirated form, for supercharged engines. A USAC rolling start was also used, instead of Formula One's usual standing start. The race was planned for a distance of , similar to the Indianapolis 500. However, unlike Indianapolis, the 500"
"which is chronicled by many as ""the greatest race ever"" run. On September 11, 1954 Sweikert became the first driver ever to average in a race, with his win in the Lutes Truck Parts Special #17 car at the Eastern Speed Dome in Syracuse. On May 30, 1955 Sweikert finally won the Indianapolis 500 race, from the 14th starting position in the Zink Kurtis roadster #6. That car now reside in the Museum at the Indianapolis racetrack. In the winner's circle, Sweikert and Dorie celebrated with singer-actress Dinah Shore. In September 1955 Sweikert became the only driver in history to"
"the time and also Kurtis-Kraft's lack of time to address repairs due to the production of new cars. Kurtis-Kraft midgets were available in completed form or also in ""kit"" form. The Justice Brothers were hired by many to build ""kit"" cars for them, including Bill Vukovich, Loren Bennett, Jack Zimmermann and others. While at Kurtis-Kraft, Ed and Zeke installed the first Dzus fasteners on a race car while Frank was out of town on business. At first Frank was not happy with their change to his design, but later realize the benefit of using Dzus fasteners. The idea came from"
"many times over, suites and museums were added, and many other additions helped bring back Indy's reputation as a great track. In the 1950s, cars were topping out at , helping to draw more and more fans. The low-slung, sleek cars were known as roadsters and the Kurtis, Kuzma, and Watson chassis dominated the field. Nearly all were powered by the Offenhauser, or ""Offy"", engines. The crowd favorite Novi, with its unique sound and look, was the most powerful car of the decade that dominated time trials. However, they would never make the full in first place, often breaking down"
"Don Edmunds Don Edmunds (September 23, 1930 Santa Ana, California) was an American racecar driver and car builder. He changed the nose on his first Kurtis midget car from Kurtis' design to his own. Indy car builder Eddie Kuzma hired Edmunds to fix the dent in Jimmy Bryan’s car after the driver kicked the car. He had his first start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1957. He won the 1957 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after finishing nineteenth over Bill Cheesbourg, Elmer George, Mike Magill, and Eddie Sachs. Edmunds' Indy career ended in with a serious practice accident at"
"a feature earning so much ridicule, he changed back to a stock lid. He went on to build and race a midget powered by a flathead. In the late 1940s, Hines did bodywork and painting for Vick Sawitskas' Nash dealership in Wyandotte, Michigan. Hines finally opened his own dedicated custom shop in Lincoln Park early in the 1950s. It was there in 1957 he built ""Lil' Bat"", a 1950 Ford with a chop, frenched headlights, the grille bar from a 1951 Ford Meteor, and large fins fitted with taillights from a 1956 Ford. The car made its debut at the"
"in construction. He was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1992. Art Cross Art Cross (January 24, 1918 in Jersey City, New Jersey – April 15, 2005 in LaPorte, Indiana) was an American racecar driver. He was the first recipient of the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Award in 1952. Cross began racing midget cars in 1938. He received a Purple Heart for his wounds during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. He returned to midget cars after the war, and raced in one of Pappy Hough's ""Little Iron Pigs."" Cross"
"Muntz Car Company The Muntz Car Company was established in 1950, in Glendale, California, by Earl ""Madman"" Muntz, a well known local used car dealer and electronics retailer. It closed in 1954. Muntz was assisted by Frank Kurtis, who had earlier attempted to produce a sports car under the Kurtis Kraft marque (the Kurtis Kraft Sport, which sold just 36 units by 1950). In 1951, Kurtis sold the license to manufacture the cars to Muntz, who rebadged them as the ""Muntz Jet"", extended the body to make it a 4-seater, and exchanged the Ford engine with a larger Cadillac V8."
"the other engines. Using his Kurtis Kraft V8-60 ""shaker"" midget car powered by a secret blend of 20% nitromethane (disguised with the scent of orange oil), Rodger Ward made history on August 10, 1950, when his Edelbrock-powered #27 car broke the winning streak of the ""Offy""-equipped midget cars at Gilmore Stadium, the track that originated midget car racing. This was the only V8-60 to ever beat the Offys in the Gilmore 386-Race history. The same car raced at the Orange Show Stadium in San Bernardino the following night, again beating the Offenhauser cars. This feat was never duplicated in the"
"as part of his race shop fabrication crew. Thorne and his crew won the 1946 Indy 500 with George Robson as his driver. During his time there, Zeke met a young Frank Kurtis who had a rented space in the Thorne shop. Zeke would later become Frank's first employee when he formed Kurtis-Kraft after World War II. During his time at Thorne Engineering in Burbank, California, Zeke worked on a variety projects including the occasional side projects. Two interesting side projects were the modification of a car for a young Bill Pollack and the development of a three-wheel car under"
"Midget championship. Vukovich was known for racing midgets powered by Drake engines. The Drake was a Harley V-twin with specially built Drake water cooled heads. His last Drake powered midget was a Kurtis-Kraft that was built by Ed and Zeke Justice, the Justice Brothers, in their shop in Glendale from a Kurtis kit. Previous to this car Vukovich drove a ""Frame Rail"" midget that was also powered by a Drake engine. In 1952, his sophomore year in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 500-Mile Race, he quickly moved up from his starting position in the middle of the third row to take"
"50 and 100 being the Cortina MK3 versions. There are only three surviving Cortina MK3 Savages known to Cortina Mark Three Club, of which two are on the road. Cortina Savage The Cortina Savage was an automobile first produced by Race Proved in the mid 1960s and came in the form of the MK2 Ford Cortina. It was designed and produced by former Ford saloon car racing driver Jeff Uren. Jeff Uren managed the Willment race team, which fielded Ford Falcons, Galaxies, Cobras, GT40s and, most famously, the humble Cortina Mk1. When John Willment gave up racing, Jeff set up"
"in 1957, although he finished eleventh three times. He finished in the Top 10 nine times, with his best finish in second position in 1956 at Langhorne Speedway. Hartley was the 1959 USAC National Midget Series champion. His 33 USAC feature wins were eighth best all-time. Hartley co-promoted with Leroy Warriner at the Kitley Avenue Speedrome in Indianapolis after his retirement. They hosted midget races at the track that was specifically built for the small cars. The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with"
"Muntz Jet The Muntz Jet is a two-door hardtop convertible built by the Muntz Car Company in the United States between approximately 1949 and 1954. It is sometimes credited as the first personal luxury car. Developed from the Kurtis Sport Car (KSC) that was designed by Frank Kurtis, it was produced and marketed by Earl ""Madman"" Muntz. The car was powered by one of two V8 engines, a Cadillac engine or a Lincoln motor, and was equipped with either a General Motors Hydramatic transmission or a three-speed Borg-Warner manual transmission. The Jet was streamlined, featured numerous luxury appointments, and was"
"car owner (AJ Watson) was at his wife's bedside while she was in labor. 1956: AAA drops out of sanctioning racing after the 1955 Vukovich crash and public outcry that briefly followed, and the tragedy at Le Mans that same year, so USAC is formed to sanction Indianapolis style racing. Torrential rains flood the facility the week of the race and threaten to postpone, or outright cancel the race. Track superintendent Clarence Cagle pulls off what becomes known as ""Cagle's miracle"" and has the track cleaned up in time for race morning. Pat Flaherty wins. 1957: After thirteen years of"
"in a larger, longer, and offset car based on the 1960 F1 design, the unique Type T54. Arriving at the Speedway 5 May 1961, the ""funny"" little car from Europe was mocked by the other teams, but it ran as high as third and finished ninth. It took a few years, but the Indianapolis establishment gradually realized the writing was on the wall and the days of their front-engined roadsters were numbered. Beginning with Jim Clark, who drove a rear-engined Lotus in 1965, every winner of the Indianapolis 500 since has had the engine in the back. The revolution begun"
"a steering failure eliminated him. The Howard Keck owned team with Vukovich driving went on to win the 1953 and 1954 contests with the same car. Bob Sweikert won the 1955 500 in a Kurtis after Vukovich was killed while leading. A. J. Watson, George Salih and Quinn Epperly were other notable roadster constructors. Watson-built roadsters won in 1956, 1959 - 1964 though the 1961 and 1963 winners were actually close copies built from Watson designs. The 1957 and 1958 winner was the same car built by Salih with help by Epperly built with a unique placement of the engine"
"adapted from sprint cars, such as the Kurtis Krafts. The first Jimmy supercharger on a V8 may have been by Navarro in 1950. Much later, rods and customs swapped the old solid rear axle for an independent rear, often from Jaguar. Sometimes the grille of one make of car replaced another; the 1937 Buick grille was often used on a Ford. In the 1950s and 1960s, the grille swap of choice was the 1953 De Soto. The original hot rods were plainly painted like the Model A Fords from which they had been built up, and only slowly begun to"