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One of the first Kurtis 500S produced, this example is believed to have been ordered new by actor Keenan Wynn, who had the car fitted with a DeSoto V8. A novice racer, Wynn crashed the car and quickly sold it on. In 1954, it was returned to the Kurtis factory to repair the damaged tail. At this time the DeSoto engine was replaced by a slightly newer Chrysler HEMI V8. It then disappeared from the public eye and did not resurface until Australian Kurtis enthusiast Kerry Horan acquired the car from a Los Angeles estate in 1976.
Focusing on other projects, Horan kept the Kurtis 500S in storage for nearly three decades. In 2005 he finally made the decision to have the rare machine restored and entrusted it to Ron Jenkins of DG Motorsport. He was able to re-use the original alloy body panels, chassis, suspension components and the Chrysler HEMI. Meticulously prepared, the V8 was rated at over 450 bhp. Following the restoration, Horan extensively used the car, participating in both the Goodwood Revival and Festival of Speed. In 2011, he decided to part with the lovely Kurtis and offered it in Gooding's Pebble Beach Auction where it sold for remarkably modest $203,500.
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