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  • Microcar
  • United States
  • Four wheels
  • Sold in department stores

Crosley

Also known as Crosley Convertible Coupe and Sedan, CB41, CB42, Crosmobile

In June 1939 you could buy a car at Macy’s. Powel Crosley, who had made his fortune selling radios and refrigerators, sold his two-cylinder convertible the same way, through department and appliance stores. It was announced at $325, and on its first day Macy’s took 14 orders.

Cream small two-door with its fabric top up, single front headlamps on the wings, under bright trade-show lights.
A cream 1939 Crosley convertible coupé on the Crosley Radio stand at CES, Las Vegas, in January 2012.Photo: The Conmunity – Pop Culture Geek, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

The spec plate

Crosley

1939–⁠42 · Cincinnati

Built
1939–⁠1942From April 1939 to February 1942; the post-war Crosleys on this page to July 1952
Country
United StatesCincinnati, Ohio, and Richmond and Marion, Indiana
Maker
Crosley CorporationPowel Crosley Jr.’s radio and appliance firm; Crosley Motors from 1944
Engine
Waukesha air-cooled flat twinAbout 580 cc; sources give 575 to 637 cc
Power
12–14 hpBy source
Weight
420 kgAbout 925 lb by Eyerman; 900–975 lb elsewhere
Seats
2 or 4Convertible coupé or convertible sedan
Wheels
4Engine at the front, driving the rear wheels
Price new
$325The convertible coupé, 1939; the sedan $350
Production
5,7571939–⁠42; about 84,000 Crosleys of all kinds by 1952
Top speed
80km/h80 km/h50 mph

Not yet recordedlength.

How big is it?

True proportion

Length unknown

No reliable length has been found. The Fiat 500, the Peel P50 and the adult stay, so the gap is shown, not hidden.

  • A 2,032 mm (80 in) wheelbase
  • Two seats, or four in the sedan
Drawn at true proportion. The track is 3.6 metres long; the adult stands at the same scale. The Peel P50 is the smallest production car, on every page for comparison.

Beside its contemporaries

The American microcars on the road in 1939, on the same 3.5 m scale. Lengths of cars without a page yet come from the census and are unverified.

  1. American Austin1930–⁠1941 · United States

    3.09 m

  2. Crosley1939–⁠1942 · United States

The story

History

Powel Crosley Jr. was born in Cincinnati on 18 September 1886 and built a car at twelve. At 21, in 1907, he raised $10,000 for the Marathon Six, a $1,700 car that never got past a prototype in that year’s panic, and by Eyerman’s count he failed four times in seven years, a cyclecar of 1913 among them.12 Then he made money. A car-accessory business of 1916 was worth $1 million within two years; in 1921 he sold the $20 Harko crystal radio and in 1922 started the station WLW in Cincinnati; by 1925 he was the world’s biggest maker of radios, and in the 1930s his Shelvador refrigerator had shelves in its door. He owned the Cincinnati Reds.12 He wanted to do for cars what he had done for radios.12

I have always wanted to build a practical car that would not only operate at low cost, but also sell at a low price.

Powel Crosley Jr., introducing the car in 1939, as quoted by Jan Eyerman in the Crosley Automobile Club Quarterly, 1976–⁠77.2

Experiments began late in 1937, and the first prototype, the CRAD (Crosley Radio Auto Division), had a rear track of only 46 cm (18 in).12 On 2 April 1939 his brother Lewis, an engineer, confirmed the rumours of a two-cylinder coupé at $395; a press release of 20 April spoke of a three-seater at $300. Neither was right.2 The car was shown at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on 28 April 1939, to mixed reviews.12

A sprayer engine and a yardstick

It was a convertible on a 2,032 mm (80 in) wheelbase, 1,220 mm (48 in) wide, weighing under 454 kg (1,000 lb): $325 as a coupé, $350 as a four-seat sedan.12 The engine was a Waukesha Cub, an air-cooled flat twin with side valves designed for orchard sprayers, with its cooling fan built into the flywheel; the sources give it anything from 575 to 637 cc and from 12 to 14 hp. A Warner gearbox gave three speeds and reverse, and the car would do 80 km/h (50 mph); Crosley claimed 4.7 litres per 100 km (50 US mpg).134 The drive went at first through a torque tube with no universal joint, until gearboxes broke when a rear wheel dropped into a pothole and a joint was added, during 1939 by the club’s account or from 1941 by English Wikipedia’s.51 The coupé’s 15-litre (four-gallon) tank sat under the bonnet and fed the engine by gravity.15

The club records the 1939 car’s oddities. The bonnet was propped open with a specially marked yardstick, 61 cm (24 in) long, which was also the fuel gauge. The wiper was worked by hand, the starter engaged by itself when you pressed a foot switch, the first cars had no door linings, and the twin shook so much that it cracked the rear wings, so braces were added in 1940. Cars came in grey, cream or blue, with red wheels and a black top.52

Sold with the radios

Crosley meant to sell it through department and appliance stores, with service at central depots, and on 14 June 1939 he named Macy’s in New York and Bamberger’s in New Jersey; Macy’s took 14 orders on the first day, and a factory showroom opened on East 44th Street.2 Car dealers soon took over.13 Production was under way by 11 June, and 2,017 were built in the rest of 1939.12 For 1940 came a van and a station wagon with a maple body, but only 422 cars.12 The 1941 range, with the Covered Wagon, a convertible wagon whose rear seat came out, and the Parkway Delivery, with no roof over the driver, ran to ten bodies, and nearly 2,300 were built.12 In 1941 the 147th Infantry tested a cut-down “Mosquito” sedan at Camp McCoy. Cannonball Baker drove a Crosley one-and-a-half times across the United States.2

The CB42 of 1942 brought the Liberty Sedan, the first Crosley with a steel roof, and painted hubcaps, since chrome was restricted.152 About 1,000 were built before the stop in February 1942, and Crosley was the last American maker to stop building cars for civilians. With petrol rationed, a car claimed to use only 4.7 litres per 100 km (50 US mpg) had its appeal, and Crosley’s advertisements ran on into 1943.12

War, and a tin engine

In the war Crosley made proximity fuzes, radios, field kitchens and powered gun turrets.1 It also built the CT-3 Pup, a one-seat four-wheel-drive runabout of 510 kg (1,125 lb) that could be flown in, with the Waukesha twin and a gearbox of six forward and two reverse speeds; 36 were built, six went overseas, and seven or eight survive.12 In the summer of 1943 the chief engineer, Paul Klotsch, met Lloyd Taylor, whose overhead-cam four was built from sheet steel, and Crosley took an exclusive licence.2 On 20 June 1944 the radio business was sold and Crosley Motors stood alone.12 Its post-war cars, longer than this site’s size rule allows, are told below: the CC and CD and the Hotshot.

Silver-grey tiny car with a tall white fabric top and a tapering tail on closely set rear wheels, show visitors behind.
The CRAD prototype of 1937, the first Crosley test car, at the Eyes on Design show in Michigan in 2017.Photo: JOHN LLOYD, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Small blue pick-up with a white canvas cab top and red wheels, teddy bears on display beside it.
A 1941 Covered Wagon with its canvas cab top, at the Tallahassee Automobile Museum in 2021.Photo: Eric Friedebach, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Crosley CC

1946–⁠1952 · a record on this page

Crosley announced its post-war car on 20 January 1946, styled by Sundberg & Ferar of Royal Oak, Michigan, and the first CC left the line at Marion, Indiana, on 9 May by the club’s date or 5 May by Eyerman’s.126 Its flat, slab sides made it the first American production car of that shape, a few weeks ahead of Kaiser-Frazer by the club’s account; Wikipedia says the two came together.71 At 3,683 mm (145 in) it is too long to count as a microcar here, and the chassis, springs and 15 cm (6 in) brakes came from the pre-war car.16

The engine was the CoBra, for COpper BRAzed: about 125 steel stampings crimped, spot-welded and brazed together in a furnace. The block weighed about 6.4 kg (14 lb) and the whole engine 60 kg (133 lb), and from 724 cc, with an overhead camshaft driven by a shaft and bevel gears, it gave 26.5 hp at 5,400 rpm. It was the first American overhead-cam engine built in five-figure numbers.12 The two-door sedan cost $853.58 in 1946, when a Chevrolet two-door cost $1,072. There were 600 dealers and 30,000 orders, but only 149 cars by 4 July; two were flown into LaGuardia in a DC-3 for Macy’s.2

A 1947 test found room for a driver 1.88–1.91 m (6 ft 2–3 in) tall, who had to duck to see sideways and, unless his shoulders were narrow, ride half sideways; it put the real cruising speed at 56–64 km/h (35–40 mph), found the engine shrill above 80 km/h (50 mph), but judged the ride the best of any small American car.1 In November 1947 came an all-steel station wagon and a doorless convertible wagon called the Sports Utility, claimed as the first use of the name.167 1948 was the peak, 27,707 cars by Eyerman’s figure or 24,871 by another; 23,489 of them were wagons.128

Then the CoBra failed in ordinary use. It leaked oil and, above all, its steel and copper corroded electrolytically, and by 1948 the reputation had gone.12 The CD of December 1948 had a squarer body, and from early 1949 a cast-iron engine, the CIBA.129 From about May 1949 every Crosley had Goodyear–Hawley spot disc brakes on all four wheels, the first caliper disc brakes on American production cars, but road salt seized them, and drums came back in June 1950.132 Output fell to 8,939 in 1949, 7,612 in 1950, 4,839 in 1951 and 1,522 in 1952.12 Production stopped in July 1952. Powel Crosley had lost $3–4 million of his own money, and General Tire bought control and the Marion works.12 The engine went on, in boats and, as the CIBA and later a twin-cam, in Bandini, Nardi and Siata 750 cc sports-racers in Europe.12

Silver slab-sided small saloon with a white star on its door, round headlamps and a simple grille, a lake behind.
A 1946 CC Four sedan, slab-sided from nose to tail, at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance in 2024.Photo: Charles, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Crosley Hotshot

1949–⁠1952 · a record on this page

The Hotshot of July 1949 is often called America’s first post-war production sports car. It cost $849.13 It had no doors, the spare wheel sat on its sloping tail and there was no boot lid; its first wings were made from 1948 coupé front wings.18 It was 3,480 mm (137 in) long on a 2,159 mm (85 in) wheelbase, with the CIBA engine set behind the front axle and coil springs at the back.13 The Super Hotshot and the Super Sports, with doors and a folding top, followed in 1950–⁠52.10 The Lane museum gives it 124 km/h (77 mph); English Wikipedia more than 129 km/h (80 mph).31 Overseas it wore Crosmobile badges, to avoid confusion with Britain’s Crossley.13 Roadsters of every kind came to 2,498.38

On 31 December 1950, at an airfield in Florida, a Hotshot won the first race ever held at Sebring (see the records).1113 In the early 1950s Hotshots won 10 of 12 SCCA races on the West Coast in the 750 cc class (more in racing and rallying).13

White doorless roadster on a chequered floor below a red neon sign reading CROSLEY RADIOS-TELEVISION-APPLIANCES.
A 1949 Hotshot among Crosley radios and refrigerators at a museum in Escondido, California, in 2011.Photo: Alden Jewell, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pictures

More photographs, old and new

The car 13

  • Pale yellow small open car with a V-shaped nose, round headlamps on the wings and a red interior. Opens a larger view

    1 A yellow 1939–⁠40 Crosley convertible coupé with its top folded at the AACA Museum, Hershey, Pennsylvania, in February 2011.

  • Small white two-door with a pale fabric top, V-shaped nose and louvred valance, on a brick museum floor. Opens a larger view

    2 A white 1939 Crosley convertible sedan with its top raised at the Lane Motor Museum, Nashville, in April 2009.

  • Small dark blue two-door saloon with black wings and a V-shaped nose, parked on grass among other cars. Opens a larger view

    3 A dark blue 1942 Crosley CB42 Liberty Sedan, the first Crosley with a steel roof, at a car show in the United States in July 2015.

  • Red small open utility with a white soft top and no doors, parked on grass by a tree. Opens a larger view

    4 A red and white open Crosley, described by its photographer as a 1948 model, at the New London to New Brighton Antique Car Run, Minnesota, in August 2012.

  • Small blue two-door with a white top and red wheels on tarmac, a yellow Crosley and a white marquee behind. Opens a larger view

    5 A blue and white pre-war Crosley with red wheels at the Eyes on Design show, Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, in June 2017.

8 more picturesFewer pictures
  • White small car from the rear, a spare wheel on the tail, a Tennessee plate and a fabric top with a small window. Opens a larger view

    6 The rear of the Lane Motor Museum’s white 1939 Crosley convertible sedan in Nashville in April 2009.

  • Pale green small car with a peach fabric top and a matching spare-wheel cover lettered 1940 CROSLEY, on a tiled plinth. Opens a larger view

    7 A 1940 Crosley convertible sedan with a peach top on display in the United States, photographed by January 2006.

  • Dark blue small saloon from the right rear, a spare wheel on its tail and a round rear window. Opens a larger view

    8 The rear of a dark blue 1942 Crosley CB42 Liberty Sedan at a car show in the United States in July 2015.

  • Red open utility from the right rear with a white soft top and a Minnesota plate. Opens a larger view

    9 The rear of a red and white open Crosley, described by its photographer as a 1948 model, at the New London to New Brighton Antique Car Run, Minnesota, in August 2012.

  • Cream doorless roadster with a black number 19 on its side and a spare wheel on the tail, on a polished floor. Opens a larger view

    10 A cream Crosley Hotshot in racing number 19, captioned by its photographer as the car that won the first Sebring race in 1950, on display in the United States in March 2019.

  • Small pale yellow open two-seater with its top folded, roped off in a bright museum gallery with framed posters. Opens a larger view

    11 A yellow 1939–⁠40 Crosley convertible coupé behind stanchions at the AACA Museum, Hershey, Pennsylvania, in December 2010.

  • White small estate parked on grass beside a two-tone Nash Metropolitan, a crowd and trees behind. Opens a larger view

    12 A white Crosley station wagon beside a Nash Metropolitan at the Red Barn car show, Gilmore Car Museum, Michigan, in August 2005.

  • Light blue small two-door with a black fabric top, V-shaped nose and twin round headlamps, a museum card on the screen. Opens a larger view

    13 A blue pre-war Crosley convertible sedan with a black top on museum display in the United States in October 2012.

The car: CD series 20

  • Light blue small estate with wood-panelled sides, whitewall tyres and a canvas water bag on the bumper. Opens a larger view

    14 A blue 1949 Crosley station wagon at the Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, California, in May 2018.

  • Green small pick-up with a white-painted bed side, whitewall tyres and a chrome grille, on grass. Opens a larger view

    15 A green 1950 Crosley CD pick-up at a car show in the United States in July 2015.

  • Red small saloon with a chrome grille and whitewall tyres parked on grass among other cars. Opens a larger view

    16 A red 1950 Crosley CD sedan at Das Awkscht Fescht, Macungie, Pennsylvania, in August 2015.

  • Teal small estate with a chrome grille and a Texas plate in a museum line-up beside a red car. Opens a larger view

    17 A teal 1950 Crosley CD station wagon at the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History, Rosanky, in July 2007.

  • Cream small estate with brown woodgrain panels and a propeller-centred grille, a white car beside it. Opens a larger view

    18 A cream 1951 Crosley CD Super Station Wagon on Long Island, New York, in October 2019.

15 more picturesFewer pictures
  • Red small pick-up with fire-service fittings behind a rope barrier, a wooden speedboat displayed behind. Opens a larger view

    19 A red 1951 Crosley pick-up equipped as a miniature fire truck at the IAA, Frankfurt, in September 2019.

  • Red small saloon with its bonnet open, a spinner in the grille and an Ohio plate, on grass. Opens a larger view

    20 A red 1951 Crosley Super Sedan Deluxe with its bonnet raised at Motor Muster, Greenfield Village, Dearborn, in June 2015.

  • Sage-green small saloon with yellow wheels, seen from above the left front through a wide-angle lens. Opens a larger view

    21 A green 1950 Crosley CD Four Super sedan at the Louwman Museum, The Hague, in March 2011.

  • Sage-green small saloon with yellow wheels and a chrome grille, seen close from the right front. Opens a larger view

    22 A green 1950 Crosley CD Four Super sedan at the Louwman Museum, The Hague, in January 2018.

  • Red small saloon from the left rear with a chrome bumper and a Pennsylvania plate, on a show field. Opens a larger view

    23 The rear of a red 1950 Crosley CD sedan at Das Awkscht Fescht, Macungie, Pennsylvania, in August 2015.

  • Turquoise small estate from the right rear with pale woodgrain panels, parked on grass at a show. Opens a larger view

    24 The rear of a turquoise 1951 Crosley station wagon at a car show in the United States in July 2015.

  • Teal small estate with woodgrain panels from the left rear, period photographs on panels beside it. Opens a larger view

    25 A teal Crosley CD station wagon on museum display in Auburn, Indiana, in September 2013.

  • Front of a sage-green small saloon with a chrome grille and a bird mascot, display stands beside it. Opens a larger view

    26 A green 1950 Crosley CD Four Super sedan seen head-on at the Louwman Museum, The Hague, in March 2011.

  • Sage-green small saloon with an information card on a stand in front, an orange car behind. Opens a larger view

    27 A green 1950 Crosley CD Four Super sedan with its information card at the Louwman Museum, The Hague, in August 2015.

  • Dark green small open runabout with a fringed canopy and IKE and MAMIE on its door, a placard beside it. Opens a larger view

    28 The Crosley runabout lettered for Ike and Mamie Eisenhower in the farm garage at the Eisenhower National Historic Site, Gettysburg, in August 2022.

  • Pale blue small saloon and red roadster parked together behind a chain, information boards in front. Opens a larger view

    29 A blue Crosley CD sedan and a red Super Sports side by side at the Automobiles of the World museum, Moscow, in December 2025.

  • Two red small cars, a saloon and an estate, parked side by side on tarmac with display signs. Opens a larger view

    30 Red post-war Crosley sedan and station wagon in the Crosley line-up at the Eyes on Design show, Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, in June 2017.

  • Rear of a light blue estate with a wooden tailgate panel, a 1949 plate and a suitcase on the roof rack. Opens a larger view

    31 The rear of a blue 1949 Crosley station wagon at the Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, California, in May 2018.

  • Front of a light blue small estate with a roof rack, a chrome grille and a water bag lettered DESERT. Opens a larger view

    32 A blue 1949 Crosley station wagon seen head-on at the Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, California, in May 2018.

  • Heavily rusted small saloon seen head-on in a garage, its round headlamps and crest badge intact. Opens a larger view

    33 A rusty Crosley CD sedan awaiting restoration in a workshop in the United States in June 2006.

The car: CC series 15

  • Green slab-sided small saloon with a chrome grille, seen from the front among old cars in a museum. Opens a larger view

    34 A green 1946 Crosley CC sedan among other cars in a European museum.

  • Turquoise slab-sided small saloon with red wheels in a display bay, information panels in front. Opens a larger view

    35 A turquoise Crosley CC sedan with red wheels at Autoworld, Brussels, in February 2023.

  • Weathered green small estate with twin round headlamps parked on a porch beside white rocking chairs. Opens a larger view

    36 An unrestored green 1948 Crosley CC station wagon at Autos East, Madison County, Virginia, in July 2008.

  • Cream small estate with woodgrain side panels and round headlamps, other cars and display boards around it. Opens a larger view

    37 A cream 1948 Crosley CC station wagon on museum display in the United States in October 2019.

  • Grey small estate with woodgrain sides and a bull-nose grille inside a timber barn, a placard beside it. Opens a larger view

    38 A grey 1948 Crosley CC Four station wagon at the Gilmore Car Museum, Hickory Corners, Michigan, in August 2020.

10 more picturesFewer pictures
  • Silver small saloon with white star roundels on its doors, towing a bullet-shaped trailer across a lawn. Opens a larger view

    39 A silver 1946 Crosley CC Four sedan towing a drop-tank trailer at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, Connecticut, in June 2024.

  • Side view of a turquoise slab-sided small saloon with red wheels on a white plinth. Opens a larger view

    40 A turquoise Crosley CC sedan in profile at Autoworld, Brussels, in August 2021.

  • Side view of a grey small estate with varnished woodgrain panels on a carpeted barn floor. Opens a larger view

    41 A grey 1948 Crosley CC Four station wagon in profile at the Gilmore Car Museum, Hickory Corners, Michigan, in August 2020.

  • Bright red small saloon at the kerb beneath a sign reading NO PARKING 24 HRS on a dark shutter. Opens a larger view

    42 A red Crosley CC sedan parked in a Brooklyn street, New York, in October 2008.

  • Silver small saloon from the left rear with a spare-wheel cover and a white star on the door, on a lawn. Opens a larger view

    43 The rear of a silver 1946 Crosley CC Four sedan at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, Connecticut, in June 2024.

  • Grey small estate from the left rear, woodgrain on the tailgate and sides, in a timber-framed hall. Opens a larger view

    44 The rear of a grey 1948 Crosley CC station wagon at the Gilmore Car Museum, Hickory Corners, Michigan, in May 2024.

  • Rear of a cream small estate with a split tailgate carrying woodgrain panels, red cars beside it. Opens a larger view

    45 The tailgate of a cream 1948 Crosley CC station wagon on museum display in the United States in October 2019.

  • Front of a grey small estate with a three-lamp bull-nose grille and a placard reading 1948 CROSLEY. Opens a larger view

    46 A grey 1948 Crosley CC station wagon seen from the front at the Gilmore Car Museum, Hickory Corners, Michigan, in May 2024.

  • Bright yellow small estate with its bonnet open and twin headlamps, parked on tarmac among other cars. Opens a larger view

    47 A yellow 1948 Crosley CC station wagon with its bonnet raised at a car show in Ohio in June 2023.

  • Cream small estate in a glass display case, a red information panel standing in front of its nose. Opens a larger view

    48 A cream 1948 Crosley CC Four station wagon in a glass case at the Ohio History Center, Columbus, in June 2022.

The car: Hotshot 15

  • Deep red doorless roadster with a fold-flat windscreen and round headlamps, parked on a lawn. Opens a larger view

    49 A red 1949 Crosley Hotshot at the Stockyard Days car show, New Brighton, Minnesota, in August 2011.

  • Red doorless roadster with an oval grille and round headlamps on the nose, a wood-bodied car beside it. Opens a larger view

    50 A red 1949 Crosley Hotshot at the Lane Motor Museum, Nashville, in July 2024.

  • Dark blue doorless roadster with pink seats and a low windscreen, parked on grass beside a green car. Opens a larger view

    51 A dark blue 1950 Crosley Hotshot roadster at a car show in the United States in July 2015.

  • Orange doorless roadster with round headlamps and a small crest, roped off on a terrazzo floor. Opens a larger view

    52 An orange 1950 Crosley Hotshot behind stanchions on museum display in the United States in March 2022.

  • Orange doorless roadster with its windscreen up, display boards and an orange car with whitewalls behind. Opens a larger view

    53 An orange 1950 Crosley Hotshot from the left front on museum display in the United States in March 2022.

10 more picturesFewer pictures
  • Red doorless roadster with a black soft top and white seats, parked on grass among other cars. Opens a larger view

    54 A red 1950 Crosley Hotshot with its top raised at Das Awkscht Fescht, Macungie, Pennsylvania, in August 2021.

  • Pale yellow doorless roadster with a black interior and twin headlamps, parked by a crash barrier. Opens a larger view

    55 A yellow 1950 Crosley Hotshot at Lime Rock Park, Connecticut, in September 2022.

  • Cream doorless roadster with a red interior on a wooden museum floor, a display panel beside it. Opens a larger view

    56 A cream 1951 Crosley Hotshot at the Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan, in August 2012.

  • Cream doorless roadster with its bonnet open and a red interior, on a parquet floor among exhibits. Opens a larger view

    57 A cream 1951 Crosley Hotshot with its bonnet raised at the Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan, in February 2016.

  • Deep red roadster from the left rear with its spare wheel on the tail and a dashboard in body colour. Opens a larger view

    58 The rear of a red 1949 Crosley Hotshot at the Stockyard Days car show, New Brighton, Minnesota, in August 2011.

  • Red roadster from the left rear with the black top up and a spare wheel on the sloping tail. Opens a larger view

    59 The rear of a red 1950 Crosley Hotshot at Das Awkscht Fescht, Macungie, Pennsylvania, in August 2021.

  • Cream roadster from the left rear with its spare wheel on the tail and a pale steering wheel. Opens a larger view

    60 The rear of a cream 1951 Crosley Hotshot at the Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan, in February 2016.

  • Rear of a deep red roadster with a spare wheel on its sloping tail and a Minnesota plate, a tree trunk at the left. Opens a larger view

    61 The tail of a red 1949 Crosley Hotshot at the Stockyard Days car show, New Brighton, Minnesota, in August 2011.

  • Front of a red roadster: two large round headlamps, a small crest and a Rhode Island plate. Opens a larger view

    62 A red 1950 Crosley Hotshot seen head-on at Das Awkscht Fescht, Macungie, Pennsylvania, in August 2021.

  • Rear of an orange roadster with a spare wheel on its tail and a 1947 Wisconsin plate. Opens a larger view

    63 The tail of an orange 1950 Crosley Hotshot on museum display in the United States in March 2022.

The car: Super Sports 9

  • Mint-green roadster with a red interior parked on a lawn, visitors and a red car behind. Opens a larger view

    64 A mint-green 1950 Crosley Super Sports at the Cincinnati Concours d’Elegance, Ault Park, Ohio, in June 2025.

  • Mint-green roadster with a red interior and black top folded, on a gravel drive before a half-timbered house. Opens a larger view

    65 A mint-green 1950 Crosley Super Sports at Pinecroft, Powel Crosley’s estate in Cincinnati, Ohio, in November 2025.

  • Cream roadster with twin round headlamps and a small crest on the nose, a white van and display board beside it. Opens a larger view

    66 A cream 1951 Crosley Super Sports at the Lane Motor Museum, Nashville, in April 2009.

  • Red roadster with a black soft top and a red interior, parked on tarmac beside a turquoise car. Opens a larger view

    67 A red 1952 Crosley Super Sports with its top raised at the AACA Fall Meet, Hershey, Pennsylvania, in October 2019.

  • Cream roadster with a red interior, a black top and a card on its windscreen, parked on grass among show cars. Opens a larger view

    68 A cream Crosley Super Sports at the AACA Eastern Region Fall Meet, Hershey, Pennsylvania, in October 2009.

4 more picturesFewer pictures
  • White roadster from the rear with a spare wheel on the tail, a Tennessee plate and a door on its flank. Opens a larger view

    69 The rear of a white 1951 Crosley Super Sports, with the doors that set it apart from the Hotshot, at the Lane Motor Museum, Nashville, in April 2009.

  • Red roadster from the left rear with a tan soft top, a door and a spare wheel on the tail. Opens a larger view

    70 The rear of a red 1952 Crosley Super Sports at the Zephyrhills Winter Autofest, Florida, in February 2014.

  • Cream roadster on a dark wooden floor in a large hall, a chequered flag on its windscreen. Opens a larger view

    71 A cream 1951 Crosley Super Sports seen head-on on museum display in the United States in September 2012.

  • Red roadster from the front with twin headlamps and a crest, an information panel on the floor in front. Opens a larger view

    72 A red Crosley Super Sports seen head-on at the Automobiles of the World museum, Moscow, in December 2025.

Inside and details 5

  • Green-painted engine block from above with eight valve openings, its cam cover lying below on carpet. Opens a larger view

    73 A bare Crosley CoBra copper-brazed sheet-steel engine block and cam cover in the United States in November 2006.

  • Green four-cylinder engine with radiator, starter and gearbox mounted on a wooden stand by a window. Opens a larger view

    74 A complete Crosley CoBra engine on a display stand in the United States in November 2006.

  • Small four-cylinder engine with a supercharger and twin carburettors on a black stand beside a grille cowl. Opens a larger view

    75 A supercharged Crosley-based racing four on a museum stand in the United States, in a photograph dated January 2000.

  • Underside view of a chassis rail, leaf spring and beam axle with brake parts, grass below. Opens a larger view

    76 The chassis and beam front axle of a 1942 Crosley CB42 Liberty Sedan at a car show in the United States in July 2015.

  • Rusty chrome hubcap with red CROSLEY lettering, reflecting a red car and the photographer. Opens a larger view

    77 A weathered hubcap lettered CROSLEY on an unrestored 1948 CC station wagon at Autos East, Madison County, Virginia, in July 2008.

Inside and details: CD series 7

  • Painted blue metal dashboard with central dials, a large thin-rimmed steering wheel and orange door trim. Opens a larger view

    78 The dashboard of a 1949 Crosley station wagon at the Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, California, in May 2018.

  • Engine bay with a small four-cylinder engine, round air cleaner, carburettor and red bodywork around it. Opens a larger view

    79 The cast-iron overhead-camshaft four of a 1951 Crosley Super Sedan Deluxe at Motor Muster, Greenfield Village, Dearborn, in June 2015.

  • Red small estate with its bonnet open showing the engine, parked on grass by a crash barrier. Opens a larger view

    80 A red 1952 Crosley Super Station Wagon with its bonnet raised at Lime Rock Park, Connecticut, in September 2022.

  • Red small two-door saloon with its bonnet open on a lawn, visitors and flags behind. Opens a larger view

    81 A red Crosley CD sedan with its bonnet raised at the Orphan Car Show, Ypsilanti, Michigan, in June 2007.

  • Red small fire truck with ladders and its bonnet open on a show field, a crowd and fairground sign behind. Opens a larger view

    82 A red Crosley pick-up fire truck with its bonnet raised at the AACA Eastern Region Fall Meet, Hershey, Pennsylvania, in October 2009.

  • Gold and red enamel shield badge reading CROSLEY on light blue paint. Opens a larger view

    83 The Crosley crest on the nose of a 1949 station wagon at the Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, California, in May 2018.

  • Chrome stylised bird mascot on a curved sage-green bonnet. Opens a larger view

    84 The chrome bird mascot of a green 1950 Crosley CD Four Super at the Louwman Museum, The Hague, in March 2011.

Inside and details: Hotshot 6

  • Red painted dashboard with two round dials, a wood-rimmed wheel, red carpet and a pleated white seat. Opens a larger view

    85 The dashboard of a red 1950 Crosley Hotshot at Das Awkscht Fescht, Macungie, Pennsylvania, in August 2021.

  • Orange dashboard with two dials and a large black steering wheel above a dark floor and seats. Opens a larger view

    86 The dashboard and floor controls of an orange 1950 Crosley Hotshot on museum display in the United States in March 2022.

  • Engine bay under a raised cream bonnet, a small four-cylinder engine sitting behind the front axle. Opens a larger view

    87 The overhead-camshaft four set well back in a 1951 Crosley Hotshot at the Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan, in February 2016.

  • Red flank with a cut-down cockpit opening, white pleated seat, a chrome mirror and Hotshot script. Opens a larger view

    88 The doorless cockpit side of a red 1950 Crosley Hotshot at Das Awkscht Fescht, Macungie, Pennsylvania, in August 2021.

  • Silver and red shield badge reading CROSLEY on glossy orange paint. Opens a larger view

    89 The Crosley crest on the nose of an orange 1950 Hotshot on museum display in the United States in March 2022.

  • Chrome Hotshot script on glossy orange bodywork near the cockpit edge. Opens a larger view

    90 The Hotshot script on the flank of an orange 1950 Crosley Hotshot on museum display in the United States in March 2022.

Variants and relatives 5

  • Gold small estate with bamboo trim and a roof rack, a Tiki Taxi sign on the grass in front. Opens a larger view

    91 A gold 1948 Crosley station wagon dressed as a ‘Tiki Taxi’ at the LeMay Family Collection open house, Washington, in August 2011.

  • Red open-wheeled single-seat racing car with a vertical-slat grille and a plate, mannequins behind. Opens a larger view

    92 A red midget racing car powered by a Crosley CoBra engine on museum display in the United States in September 2026.

  • Tiny olive-green open 4x4 with a flat windscreen and square wings, parked on tarmac beside a display sign. Opens a larger view

    93 A Crosley CT-3 Pup air-portable military runabout of 1943 at the Eyes on Design show, Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, in June 2017.

  • Orange roadster lettered CROSLEY Hotshot with a black tonneau, high on a storage shelf above tools. Opens a larger view

    94 An orange Crosley Hotshot racer stored on a shelf at the LeMay Family Collection, Washington, in August 2011.

  • Grey bare-metal small open car with red wheels and its bonnet raised, on grass, men looking at it. Opens a larger view

    95 A pre-war Crosley convertible in bare metal, mid-restoration, at the Unfinished Nationals car show in Elma, Washington, in August 2009.

Picture credits (95)
  1. 1 JOHN LLOYD, CC BY 2.0
  2. 2 dave_7, CC BY 2.0
  3. 3 Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  4. 4 Greg Gjerdingen, CC BY 2.0
  5. 5 Hugo-90, CC BY 2.0
  6. 6 dave_7, CC BY 2.0
  7. 7 Two Hawk’s Eye, CC BY 2.0
  8. 8 Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  9. 9 Greg Gjerdingen, CC BY 2.0
  10. 10 Richardvining, CC BY-SA 4.0
  11. 11 Klaus Nahr, CC BY-SA 2.0
  12. 12 Joe Ross, CC BY-SA 2.0
  13. 13 Anackire, CC BY 2.0
  14. 14 Daderot, CC0 1.0
  15. 15 Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  16. 16 Christopher Ziemnowicz, CC BY-SA 4.0
  17. 17 Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
  18. 18 Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  19. 19 Rutger van der Maar, CC BY 2.0
  20. 20 F. D. Richards, CC BY-SA 2.0
  21. 21 Alf van Beem, CC0 1.0
  22. 22 Alf van Beem, Public domain
  23. 23 Christopher Ziemnowicz, CC BY-SA 4.0
  24. 24 Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  25. 25 Lebubu93, CC BY-SA 3.0
  26. 26 Alf van Beem, CC0 1.0
  27. 27 Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0
  28. 28 Mary O’Neill, National Park Service, Public domain
  29. 29 Sergey A. Demidov, CC BY 4.0
  30. 30 Hugo-90, CC BY 2.0
  31. 31 Daderot, CC0 1.0
  32. 32 Daderot, CC0 1.0
  33. 33 Hank Chapot, CC BY-SA 3.0
  34. 34 Andrew Bone, CC BY 2.0
  35. 35 Stratoswift, CC BY-SA 4.0
  36. 36 Bill McChesney, CC BY 2.0
  37. 37 Wagon Master Johnson, CC BY-SA 4.0
  38. 38 aaronx, CC BY 2.0
  39. 39 Charles, CC BY 2.0
  40. 40 Rutger van der Maar, CC BY 2.0
  41. 41 aaronx, CC BY 2.0
  42. 42 Team Dustizeff, CC BY-SA 3.0
  43. 43 Charles, CC BY 2.0
  44. 44 aaronx, CC BY 2.0
  45. 45 Wagon Master Johnson, CC BY-SA 4.0
  46. 46 aaronx, CC BY 2.0
  47. 47 Captainpisslord, CC0 1.0
  48. 48 DogsRNice, CC BY-SA 4.0
  49. 49 Greg Gjerdingen, CC BY 2.0
  50. 50 TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0
  51. 51 Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  52. 52 Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA 2.0
  53. 53 Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA 2.0
  54. 54 Christopher Ziemnowicz, CC BY-SA 4.0
  55. 55 Charles, CC BY 2.0
  56. 56 Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
  57. 57 Joe Ross, CC BY-SA 2.0
  58. 58 Greg Gjerdingen, CC BY 2.0
  59. 59 Christopher Ziemnowicz, CC BY-SA 4.0
  60. 60 Joe Ross, CC BY-SA 2.0
  61. 61 Greg Gjerdingen, CC BY 2.0
  62. 62 Christopher Ziemnowicz, CC BY-SA 4.0
  63. 63 Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA 2.0
  64. 64 Crosleyhotshot, CC0 1.0
  65. 65 Crosleyhotshot, CC0 1.0
  66. 66 dave_7, CC BY 2.0
  67. 67 Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  68. 68 JOHN LLOYD, CC BY 2.0
  69. 69 dave_7, CC BY 2.0
  70. 70 Michel Curi, CC BY 2.0
  71. 71 dozier.donald, CC BY-SA 2.0
  72. 72 Sergey A. Demidov, CC BY 4.0
  73. 73 Jeremy Mikesell, CC BY-SA 3.0
  74. 74 Jeremy Mikesell, CC BY-SA 3.0
  75. 75 Hugo-90, CC BY 2.0
  76. 76 Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  77. 77 bsabarnowl, CC BY 2.0
  78. 78 Daderot, CC0 1.0
  79. 79 F. D. Richards, CC BY-SA 2.0
  80. 80 Charles, CC BY 2.0
  81. 81 JOHN LLOYD, CC BY 2.0
  82. 82 JOHN LLOYD, CC BY 2.0
  83. 83 Daderot, CC0 1.0
  84. 84 Alf van Beem, CC0 1.0
  85. 85 Christopher Ziemnowicz, CC BY-SA 4.0
  86. 86 Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA 2.0
  87. 87 Joe Ross, CC BY-SA 2.0
  88. 88 Christopher Ziemnowicz, CC BY-SA 4.0
  89. 89 Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA 2.0
  90. 90 Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA 2.0
  91. 91 JOHN LLOYD, CC BY 2.0
  92. 92 TTTNIS, CC0 1.0
  93. 93 JOHN LLOYD, CC BY 2.0
  94. 94 JOHN LLOYD, CC BY 2.0
  95. 95 Hugo-90, CC BY 2.0

Variants

Ten bodies before the war, three families after

Crosley cars, 1939–⁠52
VariantYearsWhat differsHow many
Convertible Coupe and Convertible Sedan1939–⁠42Two seats or four; the club calls them Master Cabriolet and Victory SedanWithin the 5,757
Station Wagon and Parkway Delivery1940–⁠42A maple-bodied wagon; a van with no roof over the driverWithin the 5,757
Covered Wagon, pick-up, panel delivery1941–⁠42A convertible wagon with a removable rear seat, and trucksWithin the 5,757
Liberty Sedan1942The first Crosley with a steel roofWithin the 5,757
CT-3 Pup1942–⁠43A one-seat air-portable four-wheel-drive runabout for the army36
CC1946–⁠48Slab-sided body, the CoBra overhead-cam four of 724 ccSee the CC section
CD1949–⁠52Squarer body, the cast-iron CIBA engineSee the CC section
Hotshot and Super Sports1949–⁠52A two-seat roadster, without and then with doors2,498

Specification

The two-cylinder cars of 1939–⁠42

Engine and drive

EngineWaukesha Model 150 Cub, air-cooled flat twin, side valves; a fan in the flywheel14
Capacity580 cc412575 or 637 cc by English Wikipedia
Power12 hp31313, 13.5 or 14 hp in other sources
GearboxWarner, three speeds and reverse34
Final drive5.14:1; 5.57:1 optional5

Body and chassis

AxlesBeam axles; half-elliptic springs in front, quarter-elliptic behind1
Brakes15 cm (6 in) mechanical drums; the 1939 cars with free-floating one-piece linings5
Tyres4.25 × 125
FuelCoupé: 15 litres (4 US gallons) under the bonnet, by gravity; sedan: 23 litres (6 gallons) at the back, with a pump15

Dimensions

Wheelbase2,032 mm (80 in)152
Track1,016 mm (40 in)5
Width1,220 mm (48 in)1
LengthNot found
WeightUnder 454 kg (1,000 lb)113925 lb by Eyerman, about 975 lb by the club, 900 lb by Consumer Guide

Performance and running

Top speed80 km/h (50 mph)13
Economy4.7 litres per 100 km (50 US mpg) claimed; 5.9 litres (40 mpg) by the Martin museum’s reckoning113
Price new$325 coupé, $350 sedan (1939); $299–450 (1942)1213The Lane museum says the $325 target became $365

How many were built?

The pre-war cars, year by year

5,757 two-cylinder cars5,757 were built from 1939 to February 1942, a total on which Jan Eyerman’s club history and English Wikipedia agree, and Consumer Guide’s “almost 5,800” fits. About 84,000 Crosleys of every kind were built by 1952.

  1. 5,757all pre-war Crosleys, 1939–⁠42Two sources agree

    Eyerman; English Wikipedia21

  2. nearly 2,300built in 1941Two sources agree

    Eyerman; English Wikipedia21

  3. 2,017built in the second half of 1939Two sources agree

    Eyerman; English Wikipedia21

  4. 1,200built in 1939, with about 5,000 more in 1940–⁠42Unconfirmed

    Martin Auto Museum13

  5. about 1,000built in 1942, before the February stopTwo sources agree

    Eyerman; English Wikipedia21

  6. 422built in 1940Two sources agree

    Eyerman; English Wikipedia21

  • Two sources agreetwo good sources give the figure
  • One sourcea good source, alone
  • Unconfirmeda lead only, not yet checked

Famous for

Three points

  1. A car from Macy’s

    Sold in 1939 through department and appliance stores, at $325.12

  2. The tin engine

    The post-war CoBra four was stamped from sheet steel and brazed together in a furnace.12

  3. Sebring’s first winner

    A Hotshot won the first race at Sebring on the last day of 1950.1113

Racing and records

Sebring and the 750 cc class

The Sam Collier Memorial Grand Prix of Endurance, six hours on the airfield at Sebring, Florida, on 31 December 1950, was the first race at Sebring, organised by Alec Ulmann. Car No. 19, a 1950 Hotshot owned by the local Crosley dealer Victor Sharpe and driven by Fritz Koster and Ralph “Bobby” Deshon, started last of 28 and led on the handicap from the first hour.11132

464 km
(288.3 miles) the Hotshot had to cover on the handicap, against 585 km (363.6 miles) for the 2-litre Ferrari of Jim Kimberly and Marshall Lewis, which finished second.112
7,500 rpm
or so, all race; the oil-pump gears were found chewed up on the drive home.11
10 of 12
SCCA West Coast races won by Hotshots in the 750 cc class in the early 1950s.13
156 km/h
(97 mph) at Santa Ana in 1953, by Nick Brajevich in a Crosley-engined dragster.3

On screen

Confirmed appearances only

RM’s 2013 catalogue lists Humphrey Bogart, Frank Lloyd Wright and President Eisenhower among Crosley owners; the list is unconfirmed.

Survivors and collecting

Today

No count of survivors has been found. In 1954, 42,568 Crosleys were still registered in the United States.8 The Crosley Automobile Club publishes a quarterly magazine and holds its national meet at Wauseon, Ohio.515 A 1939 convertible sedan and a 1949 Hotshot with Crosmobile badges belong to the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, and a 1939 convertible to the Martin Auto Museum in Glendale, Arizona.313 The photographs on this page show more, from the AACA Museum at Hershey to Autoworld in Brussels and the Louwman Museum in The Hague. James May bought a 1947 CC Four for The Grand Tour.1 The photographs also include a Crosley lettered for Ike and Mamie Eisenhower, in the farm garage at the Eisenhower National Historic Site in Gettysburg.

At auction
CarSalePrice
1939 Crosley 1A convertible coupé, rear seat addedRM Auctions, California, 2013, lot 8284$35,200

Sources

Numbered as in the text

Much of the detail comes from the Crosley Automobile Club, whose pages draw on the factory record and on Jan Eyerman’s history. No period road test was read. Sources are given as plain text; the links are on the Credits page.

  1. English Wikipedia, Crosley Motors, read in full with its infobox. Used as a lead; it cites Banks in Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History (2007), Popular Science and Hemmings.
  2. Jan Eyerman, “Of Super Sports & Cobras”, parts 1 and 2, Crosley Automobile Club Quarterly, December 1976 and March 1977, read in full.
  3. Lane Motor Museum, “Crosley Convertible Sedan, 1939” and “Crosley Hotshot (Crosmobile), 1949”, collection pages, read in full.
  4. RM Sotheby’s, catalogue of RM Auctions’ California sale, 2013, lot 828, 1939 Crosley 1A Convertible, read in full.
  5. Crosley Automobile Club, “Details on Pre-War Models 1939–⁠1942”, read in full.
  6. Crosley Automobile Club, “Details on CC Models 1946–⁠1948”, read in full.
  7. Crosley Automobile Club, “Crosley Firsts”, read in full.
  8. Crosley Automobile Club, “Statistics”, with the Wards Automobile Yearbook 1953 table and the Crosley Owner’s Club Bulletin, read in full.
  9. Crosley Automobile Club, “Details on CD Models 1949–⁠1952”, introduction read.
  10. Crosley Automobile Club, “Details on Hotshot & Super Sports”, read in full.
  11. Crosley Automobile Club, “Forgotten History: The First Sebring Race on 12/31/1950”, from accounts by Barry Seel and Louis Rugani, read in full.
  12. Consumer Guide, “Crosley: Forgotten Car Brands”, read in full.
  13. Martin Auto Museum, “1939 Crosley Convertible”, read in full.
  14. Crosley Automobile Club, “Crosleys in the Movies & TV Shows”, read in part.
  15. Crosley Automobile Club, home page, read.