Michigan resident Rick Kilbourn says that he is excited to head out to the 57th Detroit Autorama, held this weekend March 6-8, 2009 at the Cobo Center in downtown Detroit.  This year’s show will feature the Mach 5 from the film “Speed Racer,” KITT from the NBC series “Knight Rider” and KITT from the original “Knight Rider” series.  Chip Foose, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, Darryl Starbird and George Barris will also feature some of their awesome custom creations.

And, Rick will be showing his own car for the very first time since he completed his restoration of a 1946 Kurtis Kraft Midget, just a few days ago.  He says that while the Autorama show focuses mostly on hot rods and customs, he believes that people will definitely take interest in his rare vintage race car that holds a lot of history. His Kurtis is Chassis No. 35, and it is one of just a couple hundred that still exist today, he explains.

“I’m excited for people to see it and how cool it is,” says Rick.

It was only two years ago, in 2007, that Rick stumbled across an archived online classified ad for this Kurtis Kraft Midget. When he called to inquire about purchasing the vehicle, he learned that the owner had passed away but the owner’s wife still had the car sitting in their barn in Indiana.

“I like bringing these cars back to life,” says Rick. “And, I’d hate to see them sitting in a barn, rustin’ away, which is exactly where I found this one.”

This is not Rick’s first Midget. In fact, he says that he has been a fan of these race cars since he was only a toddler.

“The guys who drove these cars were heroes to me,” he says.  “And, I’m now 57-years-old. So, I’ve been into these cars for 53 years.”

Yes—Rick was only 4-years-old when he first raced a Quarter Midget. He says that he raced those vehicles until he was 12-years-old. And, by the time he was 18-years-old, he began racing Legends Cars.

Rick retired from stock car racing last year, leaving him plenty of time to work of his restoration projects.

In addition to his ’46 Kurtis, he also owns a 1957 Offyette Quarter Midget that he says is an exact replica of the racer he drove as a kid. His Offyette is one of only 10 such vehicles left in existence. Rick’s 4-year-old son, Adam, will start racing the Quarter Midget next year, carrying on a family tradition.

“It runs in the blood,” says Rick.

And, this love for racing is not only in the blood of Rick and his son.  His daughters—Julie, Angie and Krissy— have all raced, as well. The girls range from 23-years-old to 32-years-old and have all participated in the sport. Rick says that throughout 1978 to 2001, he and his girls were on the road for 23 years, straight, racing the cars.

He adds that when he was growing up, he mostly raced in Michigan.  But, many of his most-cherished hobby-related memories come from the traveling adventures he had with his kids, as they raced. The family traveled to and participated in races in 13 different states.

“From California to Connecticut and New York to Florida,” he says.

And, Rick looks forward to more travel, while enjoying and participating in the collector car hobby. In addition to his trip to Detroit this weekend, he plans on looking into other local vintage race car club events. He also mentioned that he would like to some day make it to the AACA Fall Meet that is held annually, in Hershey, Penn. He says that he enjoys meeting up with other vintage car aficionados and talking about “the old days.”

If you are in Detroit for this weekend’s show, be sure to catch Rick and his 1946 Kurtis Kraft Midget. 

General Admission is $15, and tickets for children 6 to 12 are $4. For more information, call 248-373-1700 or go to www.autorama.com for up-to-the-minute information and last-minute changes. Autorama is produced by Championship Auto Shows, Inc.

Story by: Becky McLaughlin