Photo courtesy of Cars In Depth. I wrote down some of those stations to see if theyll come in on my car radio! Stories were told back in the day when they were transmitting a half-million watts that people were picking up the signal on their water pipes, tooth fillings(!) After a few months of use, defective engines began streaming back to corporate headquarters in Cincinnati as the company frantically tried to engineer a fix that would address the issue. He needed wheels and thought he found the deal of the Century when he bought the 1948 Crosley wagon. When the U. S. officially adopted gasoline rationing on May 15th, 1942, the value of pre war Crosleys (below) jumped and the cars began to sell secondhand at a premium. He still dabbled in big league baseball as owner of his hometown team the Cincinnati Reds, but his best years were behind him and he died of a heart attack in March 1961. [30], More trouble came after the Big Three automakers introduced bigger, more lavish cars, and began manufacturing them in higher volumes and priced, in some cases, only little higher than a new Crosley car. My kids (who were then under 10) loved the idea of a real car scaled to their size. If I recall, we had to power down and then a series of mechanical wheels would engage the cooling pump around the base of the tubes (which glowed bright orange). That was a couple of summers ago too. Sales continued their collapse and by late 1951 it was obvious that the car could not survive much longer. All were two-door styles. Crosley introduced several "firsts" in American automotive history, including the first affordable, mass-market car with an overhead camshaft engine in 1946; the first use of the term 'Sport(s-) Utility' in 1947, for a 1948 model year convertible wagon; and the first American cars to be fitted with 4-wheel caliper type disc brakes, as well as America's first post-war sports car, the Hotshot, in the 1949 model year. Somehow I missed this article the first time around, glad I read it this time! This was the first in a long line of home appliances that was made until 1956. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. It brought back a lot on memories, especially since I drove it without the body. KDKAs one of my CBS/Pittsburgh sister (or is it brother?) Crosmobiles not only made it to Europe, but also elsewhere, including Cuba. When Crosley Motors, Inc. was sold, the engine was renamed "AeroJet" and production continued. To that end, the company followed up its success in the station wagon market by introducing the Hotshot roadster with a longer (85 inch) wheelbase and a starting price of just $849.The Hotshot was an clever niche car that could go fast and provide incredible handling and road holding due to its longer wheelbase and radically low center of gravity. When I was much younger, the news room at the local newspaper had a similar device to transmit wire photos. Crosley's best year was 1948 when 24,871 cars were sold. From now on thats probably where my mind will go next time I see a Crosley, WLW-AM is still on the air and doing well. Based on a super good triple biography by Tom Lewis: He also strung telephone and telegraph wires, and was a pretty good telegraph operator. It was crudely made in the shape of a classic AR turntable and wrapped in fine pixelwood veneer, and set up to digitize your LP collection. There was virtually no chrome trim or useless adornment on the outside. A co-worker of my wife was selling the old family home that was too big. But just at the pinnacle of success and acceptance, the Crosley was destined to begin a descent into irrelevance and failure. Our family was embarrassed by the car. It was so small, my grandma wouldnt allow the kids to ride in it. Though the little roadsters failed to sell, they were tremendous class competitors in racing. Also, their simple construction means that its a good car for owners to wrench on without needing a lot of specialty work. LOL. [34] Together with the Frazer / Kaiser of the same year, the 1946 Crosley CC was the first American mass-produced slab-sided / ponton-style bodied car. Sadly, no archival photos of the station over the years. In the summer of 1948, tools and dies were being installed in the companys factories for the new 1949 models that would compete with the first wave of all new designs from the Big 3 since the war. Among the stuff was a pre-WWII cabinet-style am/shortwave/phonograph (78 rpm only) made by the Bendix Aviation Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. Crosley used the money earned from appliances to diversify into broadcasting, farming and even major league baseball. I bought a Crossley Hotshot from a neighbor for $25 when I was 15 and tore it down for the hell of it. The chrome hood ornament was introduced early in the '48 model year.[34]. Baseball and cars two of my lifelong passions. Theyre in the same ballpark in length and height but dramatically different in width and wheelbase. They also produced a very similar car, called the Super Sports, which had doors installed. WBT, Charlotte, North Carolina: three towers, 428 ft (130 m) each (one original, two reproductions from the original plans after the originals were destroyed by Hurricane Hugo) It is said, Powell gave up a trademark logo to Howard Hughes who wanted use of it for TWAMr Crosley just gave it to him, not at all how corporations operate today. Join the Crosley Club of America, and have some fun for a change!! Starting with the official certificate granting a Crosley dealership to a drug store? [29] Crosley sold about 84,000 cars in total before closing down the operation in 1952. [6] The first experimental prototype of the Crosley car was the 1937 CRAD (for Crosley Radio Auto Division) that had a 18 inches (46cm) rear track. [7] The addition of the Crosley "Hotshot" sports model and the "Farm-O-Road" model, a combination farm-tractor and all-wheel-drive vehicle in 1950, could not stop the decline. And he says the Big Switch shown above still exists! The pbs.org link above has gone dead. He had 2 projects going at once and decided the MG was too much for him. There was a particularly steep hill on the way to one lake that the poor little CIBA engine couldnt make even in first gear. [30][31] Crosley continued building engines for a short while to fulfill a government contract, but eventually the rights to the engine were sold. The resulting bad publicity caused an alarming drop in sales late in the 1948 model year. This one has a nice patina, and seems to be in very good condition for its age. Author's photo added 3-7-2021. While many Cincinnatians are familiar with the Crosley automobile produced between 1939 and 1952, thanks to the Cincinnati Museum Center's display of a Crosley wagon, his first attempt to build a car dates to 1898 when he was just 12 years old. sorry this is a car blog btw, i have a background in broadcasting, too. Many were parked behind barns and under sheds and forgotten. But just then another smoldering problem burst into flame. The wealth that Crosley amassed from sales of these products provided the funds to diversify into other areas, including automobile manufacturing. Your email address will not be published. Ill take one each of the roadster and the pickup, please. Polaroid, Westinghouse, RCA, Zenith, Fisher. Crosley also made appliances; if I had to guess, its from an appliance. Crosley tried to get a little extra out of the CCs with a 48 1/2 model with the only change being the bolt on grill bars and bull nose, The factory promoted buying grills to update the looks of your older model. Even though the bed was small and the cab barely could accommodate two people, the Crosley pickup sold well enough to have its own assembly line for a few months in 1947. Nice to see that everyone is almost as interested in the radio tech as the car! When you went into the transmitter room on full power, every hair on your head would stand up. Mooney Mites are a hoot to fly, even to this day, and echo many of the minimalistic philosophies of Powell Crosley. Wherever they drove in the Crosley, they got laughs from other drivers. In fact, 35 1948 Crosleys have sold on eBay Motors in the past three years. Hotshots had an 85 inch wheelbase and were a scant 137 inches from stem-to-stern. And there is a Tesla store coming to Bellevue Square Mall! However, the engines inability to operate in the wildly varying aviation conditions , especially shock cooling upon descent, had Mooney recalling all the COBRA equipped airplanes and retro-fitting them with a purpose built aviation engine. Another car Ive never seen in person but I doubt Crosly got into exports. In both the early and later cast-iron engines, the crankcase is aluminum. [32] In addition to normal gearing, it offered a 4-to-1 low reduction. Always shy about showing its wheels, that cute red Hotshot looks to be drawing its rear wheels inwards, towards the narrow track of that original CRAD prototype. Fabulous article Jeff! Drivers that were issued an A ration sticker (above) had to make due on 4 gallons of gasoline a week until further notice. The 44.2cuin (724cc) engine produced 26.5HP @ 5,400rpm and 32.5lbft (44Nm) @ 3,000 rpm.[32]. As mentioned elsewhere, we probably all like the same old stuff whether it has wheels or not! Every other car towered over them. Most car spotters have never seen a running Crosley except at a car show. 1949 Crosley Hotshot. [38] Further, the tester felt that the engine lacked bottom-end power, and that the true cruising speed was between 35 and 40mph the car will do 50mph, and he drove one faster than that, but at these speeds "the little 4-cylinder engine screams like a banshee with the hot-foot" and driving felt quite uncomfortable. Despite fuel consumption that could break 50MPG in the hands of a careful driver, the company sold only a little over 2000 units in its debut year. Crosley produced the Hot Shot from 1949 through the end of automobile production in 1952. [34], A 1947 test of the Crosley sedan and convertible determined that "There is leg room for a man as tall as six feet two or three but due to the over-curve of the top and the window design, he may have to duck to see left or right", and unless he is narrow-shouldered "he will have to ride these things side saddle or not at all". It belonged to my dad, and it was the first car I ever drove. Here is an interesting old tube I found in an antique store. Excelsior!!! [39], After building only bottom-end of the market economy cars since its inception, Crosley introduced a little sports car in 1949, the doorless Hotshot roadster. I also remember stories about WLW at its max having listeners as far away as the Australian Outback, due to its signal that all but blanketed the entire planet. You will find all the information you need here. My grandfathers brother offered to buy up the failing ladies wear business, the Crosley, and begin a chain of mens wear stores in South Chicago.