Completely Original: 1951 Crosley Super Sport
What do Boy George, Art Linkletter, Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Swanson, and Dwight D Eisenhower have in common? The answer is that they have all owned a Crosley at one time or another. If you would like to join this exalted company, then maybe this 1951 Crosley Super Sport is the car for you. You will find it listed for sale here on Craigslist. It is located in Hagaman, New York, and is being offered for sale with a clean title. The owner has set the price for the Crosley at $17,000.
Colin Chapman espoused the philosophy “simplify then add lightness,” and that is beautifully demonstrated in the Crosley. This is a wonderfully simple and light little car, and this one is a nice example. The shots of the underside of the car look really clean. The body is in nice order as well. There are a few minor marks on the car, but these should be an easy fix. The car is fitted with the optional chrome wheel trims, and they really look great. The only criticism that I could ever level at the Crosley regards the soft-top. While it appears to be in good condition, I would probably try to drive the car on days when it wasn’t needed. It gives the car the look of a square-rigged sailing ship. Still, we can’t have it all.
The interior of the Crosley is just about perfect. The only real deviations are the fire extinguisher and the wrap on the wheel. I’m also fairly sure that the carpet isn’t original, but it still looks good. I also love the look of those gauges. They have a look that pre-dates the car, but they add a touch of class to what is a simple little car.
The beating heart of this beast is the Crosley CIBA 4-cylinder engine. With a capacity of 724cc, the engine produced 26.5hp. That isn’t much, but when it was pushing a car that only weighed a touch over 1,100 lbs, performance was quite sprightly. Drive then went through a 3-speed manual transmission. The engine is original, and the car runs and drives. The only concession to modern living is the fact that the engine has been fitted with an adaptor to allow it to use modern oil filters.
This Crosley is a great little car. It won’t appeal to everyone. It is not a hairy-chested muscle car. What it represents is a car that will put a smile on the face of everyone who sees it. You can be pretty sure that it will be a conversation starter at any coffee ‘n’ car meeting. A restored example recently sold at auction for $22,500. This car is claimed to be original. If that is true, then it represents a pretty good buy for the asking price.
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Comments
Nice car- I believe that the early engine blocks were made or sheet metal, Beware. Good luck to the new owrner!!
Cheers
GPC
The article states that the engine is a CIBA( Cast Iron Block ) A .The earlier engines were cast iron with outer water jacketing of soldered sheet metal .
Good on the CIBA, but oops perhaps on the COBRA? No cast iron in the COBRA engine. See the Crosley Club’s article complete with photos of the copper brazed engine and its’ aluminum alloy crankcase along with about 125 steel stampings and note the specially constructed furnace for copper brazing at 2060 degrees in a neutral atmosphere. Impressive:
http://www.crosleyautoclub.com/Mighty_Tin.html
Classic Steel provided this link on the previous Crosley posting.
I would love to own a Crosley SS given that I just restored my 1939 De Forest Crosley Superheterodyne 9-tube AM/SW.
Bob
Where is the shifter?
You can see the little black shifter knob just to the right of the steering wheel. It’s a floor shifter.
Count on support from members of the dues-free Crosley Car Owners Club. (Actual Crosley ownership isn’t a requirement.) http://www.facebook.com/CrosleyClub and http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/Crosley .
It’s not that original. I spotted about a dozen things that are not original from the radio antenna placement, to the turn signal switch, and the wrong hood.
I knew a guy in 1967 or so with a SS as his daily driver. His had a Lancia crash box transmission. The Hot Shot, similar to a SS, with no doors had disk brakes with tiny round pads.
Powel Crosley also was in the refrigeration business and was the first to put a shelf in the refrigerator door; the Crosley Shelvedoor (SIC) ?
The last time you’ll see the words “Boy George” and Dwight D Eisenhower in the same sentence…
The Crosley story is truly a facinating one. From the radio stations heard round the world to the shelves in your refrigerator Mr. Crosley was one of the great minds of our time, yes the cars were a total failure, to small, to underpowered, to light and just to different than what our country was used to? Really LOOK AT THE AUTO MARKET TODAY!!!!
Crosley was an immediate American success story until news of the problems inherent with the CoBra engine spread. Crosley Motors corrected them with the CIBA engine, but the public trust couldn’t be recaptured. http://www.facebook.com/CrosleyCarClub
What was top speed ?
This car is less than 10 miles from my home , I have seen this car and it is as nice as any I have ever looked at. Good car if your a Crosley man .
The new owner (and anyone, actually, with an interest in the Crosley saga whether an owner or not) is invited to join the dues-free CROSLEY CAR OWNERS CLUB at http://www.facebook.com/CrosleyCarClub and http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/Crosley . Thanks …
I’ll take the yellow wagon nxt to it instead…due to condition may B I can afford it, need the extra sz. Would wrk well where I live…