1947 Kurtis-Omohundro Comet

41 Alex Boeriu And “ Mae West ” The following story is from Alex Boeriu, owner of the 1947 Kurtis - Omohundro Comet from 1986 to 2007 I love mechanical things – cars, motorcycles, boats, camera, and guns, but I am crazy about convertibles. So when I drove by the Leroy Jenkins ministry and I saw a Jaguar - like silhouette under a tarp, my heart fluttered. Leroy Jenkins is a healer type of preacher that sold water from his well as holy water for $5 a gallon, so it took me a couple of days to talk myself into walking on that property. I finally had a chance to peek under the tarp, only to find a shape that I could not recognize. On the title of ownership, the car was listed as Curtis Craft (sic). Since it was in the early ‘80 s, Google was not around, and the misspelled name did not help in my research. My best friend, Roger Koch, a big motorhead and racer, told me to research Frank Kurtis a bit more. In the meantime, I purchased the car and brought it home—it was in terrible shape. Leroy ’ s son started a feeble restoration by using a grinder to remove the paint which resulted in warping most of the flat surfaces; the floor was rusted out and the wooden seat frame was completely rotten. I did manage to locate Frank Kurtis and we talked by phone a few times. The pictures I sent to him resulted in the letter from him that identifies the car as the one that he designed for Paul Omohundro. I located a phone number for an Omohundro family, but the lady answering spoke only Spanish, possibly a servant. End of that trail. I had better luck locating Jerry Ingram, who was elated and immediately planned a trip from his home in Kentucky to see the car. He showed up a day earlier than announced with his whole family in tow (two or three kids) — eager to show them his beautiful car. Well, when I rolled back the barn doors, what they saw was a rusty frame with flat tires and a nasty looking engine. The aluminum body was warped and hanging from the barn rafters. They left fairly quickly, promising to come back the next day, which did not happen. The restoration was slow, but it made me meet some very interesting people. The old guy that restored the engine was a Mercury flathead expert who used to race hot rods in the ’40 s. Another old artist offered to straighten the body panels. He was in the process of restoring a ‘20 s REO fire truck in which he was fabricating missing body parts. I spent many evenings in his garage with other old timers listening to great stories while he worked. He was amazing! The stone guards on the Kurtis did a great job guarding stones. They were covered with thousands of dings. He made a special tool, and had the patience to beat every single ding into a perfectly smooth surface. Trips to Hershey resulted in a set of wire wheels and the banjo steering wheel. A dude in New England restored the gauges, and my favorite sheet metal contractor put together new floor boards and firewall. A local body shop did a great job on the body work; a Jeep donated the seat; and a local auto accessory shop finished the interior—in exchange for my ’66 Lincoln Continental 4 door convertible (of course). The car was finally sitting pretty, when my architect brother - in - law, while visiting from Europe, took an admiring look and instantly baptized the Kurtis - Kraft Sports Car with her new name … “ Mae West. ” “ Only Mae West could compete with these curves ” I didn ’ t drive the car, but I had alot of fun showing it off and challenging smart ass know - it - alls to guess the make of the car. Some of them are still asking me what happened to the car. They want to know “ where is it now? ” They look incredulous when I tell them that it won “ Most Elegant Sports Car ” at the Amelia Island Concours d ’ Elegance in 2009. That would have never happened if Geoff would have not found me. “ Mae West ” would still be hidden in my garage, out of sight. She deserves to be seen and admired again! Alex Boeriu (June 18th, 2012)