Today’s featured Ross Page Special was built around a frame designed by Frank Kurtis in California using some parts that were taken from Leon Duray’s Indy Car originally built 1931.

It was one of the few post war designed and built cars that went to the start line of the 1946 Indy 500.

The Ross Page Special is recorded on the Indy 500 website as being a Kurtis Duray, it ran with a motor that started life as a 1932 Miller 220 but which was modified by 2 time Indy winner George Stewart better known as Leon Duray and the Offenhauser Engineering Company who fitted a super charger. Though the badge on the front carries the words Miller Ross Page, Indy 500 historian Michael Ferner tells me the car was referred to in period as “Offenhauser Special”, “Page Offenhauser Special”, “Ross Page Offenhauser Special”, “Page Special” and “Ross Page Special”. The names of frame and bodywork builder Kurtis, engine originator Miller and engine modifier Duray have all been added retrospectively.

Mel Hansen started the 1946 Indy 500 from 27th on the grid and was classified 11th having retired on lap 143 with a crankshaft issue. For some reason that is not clear to me the car is listed in the official Indy 500 results as the #4 though the photographic evidence shows the car carrying the #41.

In 1947 rookie Fred Agabashian started the Indy 500 from 23rd on the grid and was classified 9th and running with 191 laps completed.

The following year Fred could only start from 32nd on the grid and only managed 58 laps before retiring with a broken oil line and was classified 23rd with the car now carrying the #26.

When the car was restored by John and Heather Mozart it was briefly used raced in vintage events before being donated to the Peterson Automotive Museum. The car is seen here at last years Desert Classics Concours d’Elegance.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for the photographs and Michael Ferner for the details about the cars name and build.

Thanks for joining me on this “Ross Page Special edition of getting a li’l psycho on tyres, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !