This 1954 Hillegas Offenhauser sprint car has been beautifully restored and has great history!
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Here it is – on the Williams Grove dirt track oval 1n 1955 – as raced! That’s Earl Steffen himself with a big ol’ grin on his face – and why not, he’s participating with one of the fastest cars on the circuit !
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Earl Kurtz, the grandson of Earl Steffen, sent the third owner of the car, John Adrain, this photo, also taken at Williams Grove in 1955. Earl Kurtz is the kid sitting on the tires in the left of the photo, behind the fence are Frank Murray Jr, and Frank Murray Sr, and Earl Kurtz’ mother and brother. Luther Kurtz, Earl’s father, is standing in front of the car to the right of the photo. The driver is Ottis Stine. Frank Murray Jr. went on to restore the car in the 1990’s by re-uniting it with another Offenhauser engine, and John Adrain finished the car with the attention to detail and high quality he was famous for. So, amazingly enough, this car has had only 3 owners, with positive identification and excellent written documentation from Earl Kurtz. Thanks, Earl!
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And here it is today – restored, and looking perfect!
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As raced! Looks like Luther Kurtz standing by it.
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Think about the bravery on display when this car was being driven! Those 4 Hillborn injectors are an external clue to the exotic Offenhauser 220 cubic inch four cylinder dual overhead cam engine under the hood!
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Actual Magnesium wheels. Every detail on this car is just right.
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There it is, in the lead at the outside!
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Wind cheating design
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Beautiful four into one exhaust pipe that looks exactly like the original photo.
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Beautiful in every detail!
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There’s Frank Murray Jr, mid-restoration of the Steffen Offy. He fabricated the body panels using the actual original body dies, shown below
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The original Ray Drumheller body dies
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The restorer took pains to make everything just exactly right, and beautiful! It is both a powerful car, and an art object!
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The heart of the matter – a 220 cubic inch Offenhauser 4 cylinder race engine – the gold standard of race engines from the 1930’s to the 1980’s ! This is the second Offy in the car, the first was retired and lost in 1957 in favor of a smallblock Chevy. The car had several different engines, finishing its career in 1973 with a Chevy 350. The Offy hasn’t been run in quite some time, it’s free and rotates, but it’s up to the new owner to give it the next startup.
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purposeful – and powerful!
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“Hilborn Travers Engr” identifies the fuel injectors
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Imagine climbing in this cockpit and flinging this car around a dirt track!
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AACA certified competition race vehicle # 049 – that’s an early badge.
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And participation in many Eastern vintage sprint and race events while under Frank Murray’s ownership.
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Wow!
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A tribute to the heroic dirt track drivers of the 1950s !
Offered by the Vault Classic Cars Dealership, Fullerton, CA, call us at 714-401-1047
International customers are welcome to buy! We’ve sent many cars overseas.
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Sold AS-IS, with NO WARRANTY. Delivery F.O.B. Fullerton, CA. This car is sold Mileage exempt, meaning it’s not possible to know the original mileage. It is the buyer’s responsibility to either inspect the car in person or enlist the services of an inspector prior to sale. The car may have minor or major flaws that are not evident in the photos and description. Federally required “buyer’s guide”, marked AS-IS, NO WARRANTY is incorporated in this contract by reference. CONDITIONS OF SALE, 4 PAGES, are incorporated in this contract by reference. Buyer must provide seller with a copy of government-issued identification such as a driver’s license or Passport. Funds must come from the person shown on the identification, not a third party. .
We are happy to work with legitimate overseas buyers, and we can assist with getting the car shipped to most international ports. Shipping is at buyers expense, the car is sold FOB Anaheim, CA. There is an additional $200 cost to flatbed the car to any freight forwarder in the Los Angeles, CA area. Call us during Pacific Daylight Business hours at 714-401-1047.
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