As usual, I've been poking around the internets to keep an eye on Crosley stuff for sale. Seems like there's always plenty of cars - a far cry from the good old days (i.e. 1996) when I was looking for my first Crosley - it took me months just to find a car to go look at! Shees. With all these cars available, there are bound to be some oddballs, and here's a few crazy Crosleys I've stumbled over recently.
First up is
this '51 'Hotshot' (which actually looks to be a Super Sports) located in Atlanta for $5500. Crosley roadsters sorta beg for headlight modifications, but this '
Jane Russell' treatment is the most extreme solution I've ever encountered. Makes you not even notice that giant grill that came off who knows what.
The stock driveline has been swapped out for a Datsun 4 cylinder, and the seller says it runs and drives. I'd imagine it goes like stink, but unless they did some pretty impressive suspension work I can't imagine the Crosley frame (or brake system) is going to be happy for long.
This '1946 Sedan Delivery' has been on offer for quite a while- it's in Modesto (a couple hours from me) and has been on all the West Coast Craigslists a bunch. I'm not sure what to make of it - Crosley didn't offer a sedan delivery (or even a station wagon) in '46, so I'm assuming this just got retitled wrong at some point. Looks like it's a '47 or '48, but, with this I can't imagine a correct vin would really matter.
Engine is a Ford V6 (which I don't even know how they stuffed in the engine bay) bolted to a C4 tranny and a narrowed Ford rear. I'll spare you those photos, along with those of the '80s minivan interior. I'm really befuddled by that rear door, but honestly, I'm pretty befuddled by the whole thing. That said, I don't have anywhere near the skills to put something like this together, so maybe I'm just lacking imagination. $4500 and it's yours.
Last up is a car that is totally not my bag, but which appears to be exceptionally well thought out for what it is. Listed as a
'1951 Crosley Hi Boy,' this car is taking some cues from the many Crosleys that ended up as drag racer bodies back in the fifties. The car was built by the Hot Rod Garage in Bakersfield (nicer, bigger pics of the car on their site
here), a full-service hot rod/custom shop, and from the detail pics it sure looks like they knew what they were doing.
I can't say for sure what that motor is, but according to my rule (any old car the color of an easter egg is 99% likely to have a Chevy 350), I'd say that a bowtie is a safe bet. That header/collector going into the lake pipes is a thing of beauty.
Though all three of these Crosleys are unique creations, the Hi Boy is way ahead of the curve - it's the only one of the three that actually looks like someone planned it out ahead of time. Of course you gotta pay for that, and at $17,500, it is more than triple the cost of the other cars. Street rods aren't really my thing, but I will say that, unlike the two cars above, this one will probably handle better than any stock Crosley.
I've seen this car in person, but it's been a while - Ardell Johnson (the guy who owned it up until a few months ago) usually brings his Super station wagon to the Club meets. Ardell always does a good job with his cars, so I suspect this is as nice as it looks in these pictures. I have to admit that there was a minute there when he told me that this car was for sale that I thought of jettisoning my project '51 Super Sport and just buying this. I know I'll have more than Johnson's $6K asking price into my car if/when I ever get it finished, but somehow I'm just not ready to call it quits on the project yet. (Because I'm an idiot?)
I am a bit perplexed when sellers who've just gotten a car imply in their ads that they've had it a long time. Won't the buyer ask about the car's history? I always do. Is it just me? And the buyer'll find out anyway as soon as they see the paperwork. This seller's pitch isn't too bad, but, "It's a great little car that I'll miss very much" kinda implies that he's owned it longer than the lifespan of a brine shrimp.
Blah blah blah. Nice car, hope it goes to a good home... I'll be curious to see if it meets reserve.
