1955 Kurtis 500KK Sutton Roadster – A Handcrafted Icon of American Racing History
Steel Elegy - Speed, style, and experimentation defined the postwar 1950s—the decade when America discovered its passion for sports cars. It was a time when innovation seemed limitless, and engineering pioneers blurred the lines between track and street. Among those visionaries stood Frank Kurtis, a man whose machines didn’t just race—they redefined what racing could be. Out of his California workshop, Kurtis Kraft came some of the most formidable competition cars of the era, including one that would become both an engineering marvel and a sculptural masterpiece: the Kurtis 500KK Sutton Roadster.
The 1955 Kurtis 500KK Sutton Roadster built on chassis MKK58, it was sent to California to receive a body from master craftsman Jack Sutton. (Picture from: UltimateCarPage)
Frank Kurtis was already a legend by the early fifties, thanks to his Indianapolis 500–winning race cars that dominated the oval with their precision and power. But Kurtis wasn’t content to stay within the walls of the Speedway. He wanted to bring the thrill of an Indy racer to enthusiasts beyond the professional grid. His answer arrived in 1953 withthe Kurtis 500S—a sleek, cycle-fendered sports racer built as a two-seat translation of his championship-winning chassis. Yet Kurtis knew the appetite for speed was growing among private racers and tinkerers who dreamed of building something truly personal. So, in 1954, he took a bold next step and introduced the 500KK—a kit version of his 500S that allowed customers to choose their own engine, body, and destiny.
The 1953 Kurtis 500S—a sleek, cycle-fendered sports racer built as a two-seat translation of his championship-winning chassis. (Picture from: UltimateCarPage)
The genius ofthe 500KKlay in its versatility. Its tubular steel frame, with its sturdy X-bracing and torsion bar suspension, was nearly identical to the proven 500S design. Kurtis even described it as “practically an Indianapolis 500 racing car with fenders and lights added.” It was an invitation to experiment, and America’s craftsmen answered. Around sixty chassis were built in total—about twenty retained by Kurtis for factory projects, and roughly forty sold to private builders who clothed them in everything from fiberglass shells by Byers and Glasspar to hand-formed aluminum bodies. Beneath those bodies, power came from whichever engine a builder fancied: Ford’s and Chevrolet’s small-block V8s or Chrysler’s thunderous HEMI were among the popular picks. The result was a grid of cars that looked and sounded different but shared the same competitive DNA.
The 1955 Kurtis 500KK Sutton Roadster incorporated Kurtis’s signature nine-bar grille into the structure itself, blending form and function in a way few had attempted before.(Picture from: WorldCarsFromThe1930sTo1980s in Facebook)
Among this family of custom-built machines, one creation stood apart—the Kurtis 500KK Sutton Roadster. Built on chassis MKK58, it was sent to California to receive a body from master craftsman Jack Sutton, a coachbuilder known for turning aluminum into art. Sutton’s work on this car was nothing short of breathtaking: short front and rear overhangs that gave it a muscular stance, suicide doors that hinted at daring individuality, and a wraparound Plexiglas windscreen that curved like a wave of motion. He even incorporated Kurtis’s signature nine-bar grille into the structure itself, blending form and function in a way few had attempted before.
The 1955 Kurtis 500KK Sutton Roadster’s cabin presents a straightforward dashboard with a few gauges and knobs paired with a four-spoke steering wheel. (Picture from: WorldCarsFromThe1930sTo1980s in Facebook)
This striking machine soon caught the attention of racer Jack Ensley, who envisioned it competing at Road America in 1958. Ensley equipped it with a Chevrolet 283 cubic-inch small-block V8 fitted with Rochester fuel injection and paired it with a four-speed transmission—an advanced setup for its day. Unfortunately, the car wasn’t ready in time for the race, and Ensley passed it on to other owners, including Joseph Concanan and later Duke Knowlon, who campaigned it in regional races through the late fifties and early sixties. Though its competition life was modest, its spirit embodied the era’s adventurous energy—a car born from pure enthusiasm rather than corporate ambition.
The 1955 Kurtis 500KK Sutton Roadster powered by a Chevrolet 283 cubic-inch small-block V8 fitted with Rochester fuel injection and paired it with a four-speed transmission—an advanced setup for its day. (Picture from: UltimateCarPage)
After its racing days ended, the Sutton Roadster was lovingly preserved and eventually restored, its brushed aluminum skin gleaming once again under the sun. Decades later, it took its rightful place among legends, appearing at events like the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, where it reminded a new generation that true innovation is timeless.
The
1955 Kurtis 500KK Sutton Roadster combined compact overhangs, bold
suicide doors, and a flowing wraparound Plexiglas windscreen into a
strikingly muscular design.(Picture from: WorldCarsFromThe1930sTo1980s in Facebook)
What makes the Kurtis 500KK Sutton Roadster so remarkable today isn’t just its rarity—though only one exists—but the philosophy it represents. It was a bridge between two worlds: the raw, single-minded focus of Indianapolis engineering and the expressive individuality of postwar American craftsmanship. In an age where technology often overshadows touch, the Sutton Roadster stands as a quiet reminder that great machines are not just built—they’re imagined. | qEyRC5ZzUa4 |
The 1955 Kurtis 500KK Sutton Roadster remains a living echo of the golden age of American speed: a car that captured both the science of performance and the soul of artistry. It tells the story of men like Frank Kurtis and Jack Sutton, whose pursuit of perfection turned sheet metal and horsepower into history. Even today, the car’s silhouette whispers of a time when the line between racer and dreamer was drawn not by blueprints, but by courage. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ULTIMATECARPAGE | SUPERCARS.NET | KUSTOMRAMA | WORLD CARS FROM THE 1930S TO 1980S IN FACEBOOK ]
Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.
1955 Kurtis 500KK Sutton Roadster – A Handcrafted Icon of American Racing History
Frank Kurtis was already a legend by the early fifties, thanks to his Indianapolis 500–winning race cars that dominated the oval with their precision and power. But Kurtis wasn’t content to stay within the walls of the Speedway. He wanted to bring the thrill of an Indy racer to enthusiasts beyond the professional grid. His answer arrived in 1953 with the Kurtis 500S—a sleek, cycle-fendered sports racer built as a two-seat translation of his championship-winning chassis. Yet Kurtis knew the appetite for speed was growing among private racers and tinkerers who dreamed of building something truly personal. So, in 1954, he took a bold next step and introduced the 500KK—a kit version of his 500S that allowed customers to choose their own engine, body, and destiny. 
The 1955 Kurtis 500KK Sutton Roadster remains a living echo of the golden age of American speed: a car that captured both the science of performance and the soul of artistry. It tells the story of men like Frank Kurtis and Jack Sutton, whose pursuit of perfection turned sheet metal and horsepower into history. Even today, the car’s silhouette whispers of a time when the line between racer and dreamer was drawn not by blueprints, but by courage. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ULTIMATECARPAGE | SUPERCARS.NET | KUSTOMRAMA | WORLD CARS FROM THE 1930S TO 1980S IN FACEBOOK ]
