Motor Trend – September 2019

The original article

boasted of the car’sboasted of the car’s

Stewart-WarnerStewart-Warner

instrument panel andinstrument panel and

ample trunk space.ample trunk space.

The First FirstTest

I

t’s not every day that a company buys

a valuable heirloom, anactual piece of

its history. But asMotorTrendlights

7070 candles oncandles onits birthday cake, it’s thisits birthday cake, it’s this

car—car—this obscure frog-greenthis obscure frog-green1949 Kurtis1949 Kurtis

we recently purchased—we recently purchased—that’s beingthat’s being

wheeled up as our present to ourselves.wheeled up as our present to ourselves.

WWhy the Kurtis? The easy answer ishy the Kurtis? The easy answer is

that it’s the automthat it’s the automobile onobile onthe mthe magazine’sagazine’s

first grainy, three-color cover. Nfirst grainy, three-color cover. Not justot just

any Kurtis. The exact car.any Kurtis. The exact car.

Another reasonAnother reasonis that 70is that 70years is timyears is timee

enough for everybody present atenough for everybody present atMMTT’s’s

birth to have nowbirth to have nowpacked their desks andpacked their desks and

relocated to that great printing pressrelocated to that great printing press

WORDSWORDSKIMKIMREYNOLDSREYNOLDS

PHOTOGRAPHSPHOTOGRAPHSWWILLIAMILLIAMWALKERWALKER

inthe sky, most notably our founder,

Robert Petersen, who started the

magazine onHollywood Boulevard and

mmoved it to a black-glass tower onoved it to a black-glass tower onSunsetSunset

Boulevard and thenBoulevard and thento a mto a monumonumentalental

bronze one onbronze one onWWilshire Boulevard. Wilshire Boulevard. Wee

finally caravaned here, near the beach,finally caravaned here, near the beach,

to a remto a remodeled El Segundo tilt-up thatodeled El Segundo tilt-up that

was originally used for engineering thewas originally used for engineering the

Apollo space programApollo space programininthe 1960s.the 1960s.

WWe’ve beene’ve beenLos Angeles vagabonds,Los Angeles vagabonds,

then, with no single homthen, with no single home as a touch-e as a touch-

stone. Anstone. AnAncestry DNAncestry DNAAquery wouldquery would

mmore likely pop up a picture of this greenore likely pop up a picture of this green

roadster rather thanroadster rather thanany particularany particular

FIRST TEST I 1949 Kurtis Sport Car

address. The Kurtis Sport Car is our

earliest fingerprint.

According to KenAccording to KenGross (virtuoso carGross (virtuoso car

historian, “Pete” Petersen’s longtimhistorian, “Pete” Petersen’s longtimee

pal, and frequentpal, and frequentMMTTcontributor), L.A.contributor), L.A.

race car builder Frank Kurtis was evenrace car builder Frank Kurtis was evenaa

coauthor of this mcoauthor of this magazine’s originagazine’s originstory.story.

Although Petersen’sAlthough Petersen’sHHototRodRodmmagazineagazine

(founded in(founded in1948) found quick success, it1948) found quick success, it

wasn’t attracting the big-buck ads fromwasn’t attracting the big-buck ads from

mmajor car comajor car companies. Kurtis—panies. Kurtis—alreadyalready

working onworking onhis car—his car—was a booster ofwas a booster of

a second ma second magazine oriented aroundagazine oriented around

productionproductioncars.cars.

46 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2019