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1953 Kurtis 500B
Driven by: Freddie Agabashian
Qualified 2nd for the 1953 Indy 500 at 137.546 mph
Finished 2nd
Commissioned by Andy Granatelli for driver Freddie Agabashian to run in the 1953 Indy 500 this car, chassis no. 363, was a contender for the outright victory, and one of the fastest cars at the speedway that year.
Weighing in at only 1800 lb, sitting on a 96.5-inch wheelbase and powered by a 270 Offy. made this a very potent package. Agabashian qualified in second position at a speed of 137.546 mph. Bill Vukovich started on pole and dominated one of the hottest 500s in history. Agabashian ran strong dogging Vukovich until the 102nd lap—exhausted by the extreme heat—in a year when only five drivers went the distance—he was relieved by Paul Russo. Officially they finished in 4th position but Granatelli was convinced they had actually finished in 2nd. The speedway’s general manager Wilbur Shaw acknowledged the scoring error but persuaded Granatelli not to protest for the good of the speedway.
For 1954, Granatelli entered the Kurtis for driver Jim Rathmann.
In practice the car was very fast, but a qualifying error erased their first
attempt with what Granatelli insists would have been the speedways first 140
mph lap. Rathmann did not raise his hand to signal he was attempting to qualify
and his run was not allowed, Granatelli protested the ruling. As the argument
went on the engine was kept running and because Granatelli did not want competitors
to see his new ram air induction system the hood was not opened which resulted
in the engine overheating. The one of a kind 404-hp engine could not be repaired
in time to qualify for the race.
Discouraged, Granatelli sold the car to Racing Associates who entered the
car in it’s last 500 in 1955. Driven by Cal Niday, the car qualified
ninth at 140.302 mph but crashed out of the race on lap 170.
The car was stripped of its mechanical parts was stored for the next 30 years in Southern California. In the mid ‘80s the car was discovered and a complete restoration began. Restored as it was in it’s final Indy appearance as the D-A Lubricants Special, the project was completed in 1995. In 1996 the car took third place in the racecar class at Pebble Beach, and was shown at the Indianapolis Museum Hall of Fame. In June of 2000 Bruce Canepa purchased the car and it remains in his personal collection to this day.