Introduction
Gil Andersen (sometimes misspelled Anderson) (27 September 1879 – 26 July 1935) was a Norwegian-American racecar driver active during the formative years of auto racing.
Biography
Gil Andersen was born on September 27, 1879 in Horten, Vestfold county, Norway. He later became a full citizen of the United States. He competed in the first six Indianapolis 500 races, appearing in annual races from 1911 through 1916. For the 1911 Indianapolis 500, all of the drivers except for Gil Andersen were American citizens. One of his major victories was in the 1913 Elgin Road Race, which he won at an average speed of 71 mph.On October 9, 1915, Anderson set a new auto speed record of 102.6 mph, winning the first Astor Cup race at Sheepshead Bay. N.Y.In 1928 Andersen established a new American stock car speed record, when he clocked 106.52 mph in a Stutz Blackhawk on the measured mile at Daytona Beach, Florida.
He worked as an engineer for the Stutz Motor Company. Stutz was in operation from 1911 and continued through 1935. Gil Andersen also was a co-founder of the ReVere Motor Company. ReVere Motor Company is a defunct luxury car manufacturing company which was in operation from 1918 until 1926.
Gil Andersen died on July 26, 1935 in Logansport, Indiana at age 55.
Indy 500 results
Images
-
Gil Andersen's crashed Stutz at T3 in the 1912 Indianapolis 500
-
Gil Andersen at the 1915 Indianapolis 500
-
Andersen's #28 car (second from left), preparing for the 1916 Indianapolis 500
