1947 Kurtis-Omohundro Comet

36 Kent Walter Remembers … The following story results from several interviews conducted with Kent Walter in 2009. Kent ’ s Uncle, Sam Cornell, owned both Kurtis - Omohundro Comet sports cars from the early 1950s through 1959. Sam Cornell owned both the 1947 and 1948 Kurtis - Omohundro sports cars in the ’50 s in Royal Oak, Michigan— which is remarkable if you think about it. Both sports cars were built nearly a continent away—in California. Yet the same man ended up with both cars starting with the 1947 Kurtis - Omohundro Comet in the late ’40 s and acquiring the Cadillac powered 1948 Comet in late 1952. Sam had two younger brothers, Bruce and Frank, and a sister Jessie. Together the three brothers and their father (Samuel Cornell), owned the Hawthorne Metal Products Company founded by Samuel Cornell in 1934 in Royal Oak, Michigan. This was a very successful metal stamping firm for auto manufacturers, producing dashboard parts, fender parts, and other large - scale metal parts. They continue in operation as of 2012. Sam Cornell ’ s nephew was Kent Walter—son of his sister Jessie. Sam never married and Kent became like a son to him. That ’ s probably why Kent got access to both Kurtis - Omohundro Comets or “ Kurtis - Kraft ” Sports Cars—as Sam and Kent called them. And, of course, Sam trusted Kent and allowed him to drive the cars to school frequently. He even allowed Kent to take the 1947 Comet to Florida on a planned vacation with friends. Kent Walter was in his late teens when he is shown washing the 1947 Kurtis - Omohundro Comet at his home in Berkley, Michigan in the late ’50 s. The first time Kent was seen in the pictures is when he drove it to Florida (Daytona Beach area), and he is shown in the car with a distant relative (not Sam Cornell.) Kent spent most of his time with the 1947 Kurtis - Omohundro Comet. He drove it to school, around town, and to Florida at least once. Sam Cornell piloted the 1948 Comet more often than his 1947 Comet. The ‘48 offered more power with its larger 346 cubic inch flathead Cadillac V - 8; it was also easier to drive with its automatic transmission; it was a bit more elegant; and it had a roomier interior which could accommodate passengers behind the front seat. Kent primarily drove the 1947 Comet equipped with a 239 cubic inch Mercury flathead V - 8 engine and manual transmission, though on a few occasions, he did drive the Cadillac powered car. Why Did Both Kurtis - Omohundro Comets “ Disappear ” From History? Sam Cornell was not an ostentatious man. He never took his Kurtis - Kraft sports cars to car shows, and never showed them off. He rarely drove either of them. This explains why both cars disappeared from history as soon as Sam bought them—starting with the 1947 car in the late ’40 s and the 1948 car in 1952. By the time Sam Cornell sold them in 1959/1960, these sports cars had not been widely viewed by custom or sports car enthusiasts who would have appreciated them and might have recognized their significance to the American car culture. This helps explain why the cars seemingly vanished from history despite receiving great acclaim when they debuted in California. What Interested Sam Enough To Purchase Both Comet Sports Cars? We may never know exactly why these cars appealed to Sam, but we certainly have a good idea of how he may have known them. Perhaps Sam was in direct contact with either Frank Kurtis (race car fabricator) or Paul Omohundro—who owned the Comet Company (a drop forge metal stamping company). All three of these men were in the same business of making patterns and stamping metal pieces for other companies and/or producing cars. That may be how Sam Cornell found out about both Comet sports cars being available and for sale over the years. Direct contact, as peers in the same business area, would have been a possibility. (Note: The 1948 Kurtis - Omohundro Comet was sold to Jim Neidy in nearby Detroit, Michigan before being purchased by Sam Cornell in late 1952 (copy of ad found In: Road & Track , August, 1952). Kent remembered that the 1947 Comet was bronze, and in the Florida vacation pictures you can see it was light colored - perhaps bronze. A year or two later when Kent is seen in the photos washing the car, it had already been repainted black or dark green. Those are the only two colors he remembered the 1947 Comet being painted. Geoff Hacker: Interview With Kent Walter—Sam Cornell ’ s Nephew (Spring, 2009) Picture on Street Taken During Kent ’ s Florida Vacation (East Coast) in 1953 - 1954. Photo Shows Kent Walter and friend/relative (not Sam).