Frank Kurtis (1908 - 1987) designed and built, midgets, Indy Cars, , sports cars and customs. His Kurtis sportscars were legendarry and his Indy cars, not only winning the Indy 500 but also dominated with the top thirteen finishers from 1952 through 1957 all being Kurtis'.  He is in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and the National Midget Hall of Fame. His son Arlen (1933 - 2016), a navy veteran, moved the business to Bakersfield, building  starter carts for the SR71, replicas of the Kurtis 500 roadsters and nationally recognized Kurtis Kraft boats. Arlen's son Chris continues the tradition, restoring Kurtis cars and building and driving winning drag cars.