Gil Andersen

Andersen was born on November 27, 1879, in Horten, Vestfold county, Norway.^[2] Andersen and his family emigrated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1895, whereupon Andersen took the name Gilbert. He became a citizen of the United States in 1900.^{[citation needed]} He married Elsie Olsen on March 3, 1909, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.^[3] He competed in the first six Indianapolis 500 races, appearing in annual races from 1911 through 1916.^[2]

One of Andersen's major victories was in the 1913 Elgin National Road Races, which he won at an average speed of 71 mph.^[4] On October 9, 1915, he set a new auto speed record of 102.6 mph, winning the first Astor Cup race at Sheepshead Bay. New York.^[5] 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.^[6]

Andersen worked as an engineer for the Stutz Motor Company. Stutz was in operation from 1911 and continued through 1935. He also was an engineer for the ReVere Motor Company,^[7] located in Logansport, Cass County, Indiana.^[8]

Andersen died of pulmonary tuberculosis on September 20, 1930, in Logansport, Indiana, at age 50.^[2]

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  Gil Andersen's crashed Stutz at T3 in the 1912 Indianapolis 500
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  Gil Andersen at the 1915 Indianapolis 500
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  Andersen's #28 car (second from left), preparing for the 1916 Indianapolis 500