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Rudi Kurth's CAT racing car


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#1 ian senior

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Posted 18 September 2006 - 11:31

Yes, CAR, not bike or sidecar.

Not sure if this has ever been seen on here before, so have a look at this:

www.eurospares.com/rdk1b.jpg

Any more information about this car?

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#2 David Beard

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Posted 18 September 2006 - 11:50

Very interesting Ian

Lots more on the same site too, that's news to me....including a nice candidate for the transporter thread and a solar powererd racer!

http://www.eurospare...d... Dane Kurth's%20Bikes%20(and%20Cars)

#3 bschenker

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Posted 19 September 2006 - 22:24

Automobil Revue from 29.07.1965

There was an article about the CAT here the Photos and Dates.
I have also a transcription, in German from this article, to translate from German to English, mi English is not enough.

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#4 Bonde

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Posted 19 September 2006 - 22:45

Thanks, bschenker!

The styling looks not unlike a BRM P57, IMO.

A very intersting car indeed. I like the stressed engine - I wonder how effective that installation was wit a canted straight four. Had he spalyed the bases of the fornt springs out a bit more (and retained the rocker arms as-is) he could've gotten rising rate.

If it had the volume of the stock 1290cc engine the car couldn't have been a Formula Junior as I think I've read somewhere - it was too late for that anyway in 1965 - so what class was it built for and did it ever race?

#5 ian senior

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Posted 21 September 2006 - 07:57

Originally posted by Bonde
Thanks, bschenker!

The styling looks not unlike a BRM P57, IMO.

A very intersting car indeed. I like the stressed engine - I wonder how effective that installation was wit a canted straight four. Had he spalyed the bases of the fornt springs out a bit more (and retained the rocker arms as-is) he could've gotten rising rate.

If it had the volume of the stock 1290cc engine the car couldn't have been a Formula Junior as I think I've read somewhere - it was too late for that anyway in 1965 - so what class was it built for and did it ever race?


What a super car. There's only one way to find out what happened to it and how it fared, and that's to ask. I'll send an e-mail to Dane and Rudi Kurth, so let's see what I get back....

#6 Bonde

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Posted 21 September 2006 - 09:07

Ian,

Oh dear, I should've considered the possibility that the people behind this car would still be alive and well...:blush:

#7 ian senior

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Posted 21 September 2006 - 09:45

Originally posted by Bonde
Ian,

Oh dear, I should've considered the possibility that the people behind this car would still be alive and well...:blush:


Not only alive and well, but thriving. Have a look at this (which you may have seen by now:

www.catbikes.ch

#8 Bonde

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Posted 21 September 2006 - 09:50

Thanks, Ian - I hadn't seen that! Interesting!

#9 David Beard

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Posted 21 September 2006 - 11:45

Originally posted by ian senior


Not only alive and well, but thriving. Have a look at this (which you may have seen by now:

www.catbikes.ch


I saw him race the CAT Crescent but didn't realise he had built outfits for Scheidegger.

Remarkable chap (and chappess)

#10 macoran

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Posted 24 September 2006 - 15:29

Originally posted by bschenker
Automobil Revue from 29.07.1965

There was an article about the CAT here the Photos and Dates.
I have also a transcription, in German from this article, to translate from German to English, mi English is not enough.


Thanks for the transcript Schenker.
I'll get on with the translation........VERY interesting little car !!!!!

#11 macoran

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Posted 24 September 2006 - 17:07

Just to whet the appetite

CAT Data and Specs translated

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#12 macoran

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Posted 25 September 2006 - 23:52

More on Rudolf Kurth here:

http://www.classic-m.../rudi-kurth.htm

#13 T54

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Posted 26 September 2006 - 00:40

Rudi Kurth is one of the most creative persons I have ever met. This picture taken in 1967 shows Dominique Brejat (driver) and Yours Truly getting ready to rumble aboard our Rudi Kurth-built CAT-BMW. We won our race that day and I still have that Cromwell helmet and the Winter goggles that came with it... :)

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Note the Mikuni carbs on the BMW engine, we had this one already figured out! :cool:

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Fun stuff... as long as nothing hits your nose.

T54

#14 macoran

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Posted 26 September 2006 - 00:44

Busy on the translation of the CAT story right now..........
do you have anything to share on it T54 ?

#15 T54

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Posted 26 September 2006 - 00:55

I don't speak German...
Rudi was living in a farm then, and we were so impressed by his skills, we bought the outfit right there. The thing handled great and we sure had a good time with it. Rudy showed us all his stuff, very impressive. My recollections wewre that of an incredibly nice fellow who was a free spirit. Not much money but lots of life!

#16 bschenker

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 20:11

Here the original German Article from Automobil Revue translated by macoran

http://www.silviomoser.ch/CAT 1.pdf

#17 ian senior

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Posted 03 October 2006 - 14:47

Just got a reply from Dane, who unfortunately has only just come out of hospital two days ago following a heart attack on 8 September.

A few years ago she tried to track down the car to surprise Rudi and found it all in bits in a garage in Eastern Switzerland. They bought it back and it's now partly put together but still with some work to do. Not surprisingly, at the moment Dane isn't too inclined to do too much in the way of digging about to find out more about the car's more recent history, but she says she has some photos in the loft.

#18 Don Ludewig

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Posted 18 May 2008 - 00:39

Guys, In case any of you had thoughts about contacting Dane or Rudi about purchasing the car, you're too late. It's recently been "sold on" (not to me).

#19 abarth545

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Posted 08 October 2008 - 12:15

http://www.akita-rac...a/PICT0798.JPG¨

as the former buyer never really finalized the transaction, i was able, as longtime friend of rudi, to buy the car; i now started a ground up restoration, here's the chassis fresh from powdercoating.Posted Image

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#20 The Mountaineer

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Posted 10 October 2008 - 09:12

Just a short message to answer Bonde's question from September 19th:

YES, the car did race, in Swiss hillclimbs in the 1100 to 1500 cc Formule Libre class.