Gilbert "Gil" Andersen | |
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Andersen at the 1915 Indianapolis 500
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Born |
Horten, Norway |
November 27, 1879
Died | September 20, 1930 Logansport, Indiana |
(aged 51)
Nationality | Norwegian-American |
Gilbert "Gil" Andersen (sometimes misspelled Anderson) (27 November 1879 – 20 September 1930) was a Norwegian-American racecar driver active during the formative years of auto racing.
Gilbert "Gil" Andersen was born on 27 November, 1879 in Horten, Vestfold county, Norway. He later became a full citizen of the United States. He married Elsie Olsen on 3 March 1909 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota 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, Andersen 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 engineer for the ReVere Motor Company. ReVere Motor Company was located in Logansport,Cass County Indiana is a defunct luxury car manufacturing company which was in operation from 1918 until 1926.
Gil Andersen died on September 20, 1930 in Logansport, Indiana at age 51.
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