Vanderbilt Cup Races

1947 #25 Kurtis Kraft Midget

The original owner of this car was Frank Curtis of Hewett, NY (no relation to the Frank Kurtis who built the car). The car features a unique and successful racing history that includes many well-known drivers including M. Andretti, M. Nazaruk, J. Rice, J. Thomson, J. Coy, T. Tappett, and J. Kay, among others.

This is what the midget looks like today. The primer spots are the result of a preservation restoration after the car was lightly damaged during a fire at the Marty Himes museum in 2002. The car was fully restored mechanically, and at the time, an effort was made to salvage as much of the original paint as possible once the bodywork was completed on the previously damaged areas of the race car.

Kurtis Kraft was a high-quality midget chassis available during the 1940s and 1950s. During this time, Kurtis midgets dominated the sport. This scenic image was taken during Marty’s ownership during the late 1990s.

This Kurtis has an Offenhauser 110 cubic inch twin-overhead cam engine with magneto ignition, twin Riley carburetors, quick-change rear end, knock-off mag wheels, early period spot disc brakes, and torsion bar suspension.

The car still retains the 1952 AAA Sanctioning Body registration plate of one of its former owners on the dashboard. Much of the period paint remains as "25 Genes Offy."

In 1984, this midget was driven by Marty Himes during a vintage racing event at Lime Rock racetrack in CT. He won the race, besting more powerful vintage racing cars, including D-type Jaguars.

It would be fun to see the new caretaker get this midget back in racing shape and return to Lime Rock.

A sample of some of the historical images that will be included with the highest bid for this car on October 11th, 2025.

1954 #18 GIRESI OFFY

This car was built as a one-off in 1954 by Eddie Allen of Paterson, NJ. The chassis rails were all hand-formed tubing with aluminum body panels. Notice the unique way in which the hood slopes to create a more aerodynamic ride. The design truly was unique to the period and not one commonly found on midget racers.

The car was run at Daytona, FL, and reached a speed of over 139 MPH in the 1950s. Allen campaigned the car with some well-known drivers until 1957. It was sold to Sal Giresi of Long Island in 1957. Giresi campaigned the car until 1970, with many notable drivers competing on tracks throughout the Northeast.

The engine is an Offenhauser twin-cam dry-sump configuration with Riley carburetors, running on methanol. The suspension features four torsion bars with a quick-change rear end. Wheels are 12-inch knock-off mags with drum brakes.

Driver Jonny Coy won the 1959 NASCAR Midget 500 Championship at Islip NY Speedway in this car.

Historical images and documents are included with photos, articles, and documents on the car. Seen here is some of the historical content that will be included in the final sale of this race car.

Both of these midget race cars capture a slice of what it meant to be an up-and-coming race car driver in the 1950s and 1960s. Although midget car racing is a rarity today, these cars are well-loved at vintage racing events throughout the United States.

Good luck to all bidders attending (online and in person ) the auction on October 11th, 2025.