Prewar Dry Lakes Racing was founded at Muroc, El Mirage, and Rosamond. The 1940 Von Arx Special, a one-off dry lakes roadster, was built for standing out on the streets and on those dry lake beds. Yes, it’s an odd rod, but it’s also more than just a survivor—it’s a rolling time capsule, and possibly the birth of the ‘sports rod’. Many SCTA clubs from this lakes era gained their reputation on the lake beds, including the Bungholers of Hollywood. The club brought together a number of speed chasers—among them, Eugene Von Arx Jr. His father, Eugene Von Arx Sr., wasn’t just another car guy, either. He was a classically trained coachbuilder, having cut his teeth at Murphy Body Co. in Pasadena and later shaping high-end customs for Don Lee Cadillac in L.A.—where the likes of Harley Earl got his motivation. So, when young Eugene needed a bespoke racer worthy of the lakes and the boulevards of So Cal, his old man got to work. The result was the Von Arx Special. A custom-bodied, streamlined roadster built from the ground up and took its cues from European sports cars. Kurtis himself stitched together a chassis from a pair of ’39 Chevy frames, laid out with lateral spring mounts for better high-speed stability. Meanwhile, Von Arx Sr. hand-shaped the steel body, topping it with a slick Art Deco front end, those unusual teardrop style fenders, and period speed pieces like DuVall style windshield. That Cord-inspired waterfall grille? Individual bars, machined from Naval brass, polished and plated—because even in the dust of El Mirage, style mattered to the Von Arx boys.
Under the understated black lacquered paint beats a serious piece of prewar hot rod engineering. The engine is a 221 CI 21-stud flathead V8 topped with a rare Riley OHV conversion—only six sets of these particular heads were ever made, and just four are known to survive. A polished intake topped with twin Chandler-Grove carbs, custom headers and underbody exhaust round it out. Step inside and you’ll find Lincoln-bronze leather, original Stewart-Warner gauges, and that all-important WTA dash tag from the SCTA. A large-diameter wheel, white knob column shifter, and a set of skinny wire wheels with vintage rubber complete the picture. It ran 114.4 MPH at El Mirage on May 8, 1942—just before war shut down any further racing.
While most dry lakes cars were stripped and spartan, the Von Arx Special stood apart even then. It wasn’t just built to go fast—it was crafted to do it with class. It foreshadowed the quality, creativity, and engineering that would define postwar Hot Rodding as a serious pursuit.
The fully-restored Von Arx Special will be for sale by Mecum Auctions in Monterey during Car Week.