Thread: Great racing cars from the past

Here is another one from Van Dyne Engineering. An historic racer class midget that has Kurtis-Kraft identification. Arlen Kurtis won't confirm these cars as K-K's unless they are taken up to Bakersfield for his inspection. This car uses a Ford Focus engine, highly modified, which was the class engine for a USAC beginners or nursery class. This amuses me as these are modern engines that are putting out more power than an Offy Midget was in the 1950's. This one has some extra crankcase ventilation. You could see through two of the holes to the ground underneath the car.

Brian, do you know the power of that engines and max rpm?
Which are the max speed on them?
Can we compare with the formula Ford?
Cheers

Originally Posted by Chucaro

Brian, do you know the power of that engines and max rpm?
Which are the max speed on them?
Can we compare with the formula Ford?
Cheers

When they were used in the beginners class there were restrictions as to modifications like in Formula Ford. Now they run in historic class there are no restrictions and I believe they are running up to around 8000rpm and over 220 hp. They are methanol fuelled. The cars sans driver weigh in from 800 to 1000 lbs so the performance is impressive, lightning acceleration. The top speed varies according to the final drive ratio which can be changed from track to track and even according to track conditions. Hence my amusement at this being regarded as a beginners class.

If the car pictured is a genuine Kurtis-Kraft then it was built in the late 1940's-early 1950's and would originally have housed a 110 Offy or Ford V8-60.

It is a big difference to the Formula Ford 1600cc engines which tuned up develop 125 bhp at 7,000rpm.
Must be a lot of fun racing one of those

Originally Posted by Chucaro

It is a big difference to the Formula Ford 1600cc engines which tuned up develop 125 bhp at 7,000rpm.
Must be a lot of fun racing one of those

I don't know what Ford that engine came from. I was told it was a "Focus". The black plastic cam cover does not belong. It was put on loose to keep the crap out. Don't understand that as the engine is rooted. Maybe the owner hopes to salvage and re-use the head.The normal fitment is a polished aluminium lid. These engines are from cheap passenger cars and I reckon the sort of outputs these tuners are getting with methanol and 16:1 compression ratios, wild cams, and Hilborn fuel injection are testing the engine's durability.

Brian, there were a coupe of famous Formula Ford Kent 1600 engines back in the eighties that had been ventilated, patched and rebuilt.

The most famous was 'Patch', owned by Minister Engines and won a number of FF Festivals in the UK over successive years.
It had been a customer engine that had let go, so they sold the customer a new short engine and used the remains of his blown block as a development hack and it ended up being an awfully quick engine.

In the mid nineties the UK and most of Europe went to the then 1800 Ford Zetec engine as the control engine for Formula Ford.
The Kent engine was relegated to regional Championships and club racing.
We continued with the 1600 Kent engine until a number of years ago, where I think the new engine is a Ford/Mazda 4V DOHC 1600 ?? (been out of the racing scene for too long now)

The Kent 1600 is still used at State Championship level.

Lancia D24 and D50, so sexy. I got to see Fangio's D24 and D50 in Italy, I find the photo's and see if I can scan them in.

Originally Posted by Wortho

Lancia D24 and D50, so sexy. I got to see Fangio's D24 and D50 in Italy, I find the photo's and see if I can scan them in.

Fangio did not have much luck with the Lancia reliability but was a nice car
Here is the great man on one Lancia