Car builder best known for his Indianapolis 500 efforts. Continued building cars until his retirement in 1968. Son Arlen continued the family car building heritage after Frank's retirement and death. Kurtis was the son of a Croatian blacksmith, an immigrant who moved to the US in 1902. A former riding mechanic for Kelly Petillo, Kurtis became one of America's most innovative racing designers, who as well as cars, built speedboats and mechanical starters for jet fighter planes. He built midget, sprint, sports and Indy cars, and won the Indianapolis 500 in 1950, 1951 and 1955. All of this genius stemmed and started from learning from his father as an apprentice blacksmith at home before adapting that to great success.

Biography last updated 28 Jan 2017