This car was a 1951 Super Sport... a Hot Shot with doors. 85" wheelbase, and an overall length of about 13'. 51" wide. They came originally in red, yellow or off-white with red trim. They all red "leatherette" interiors. Same 26.5 horse motor all the later Crosleys had.... beefed up, one could get 50 HP, and the Super Sport entered at Le Mans was clocked at 99 MPH. Harry's had the hydraulic brake set-up that was introduced in 1950.... supposedly the best of the Crosley brakes. A stock Super Sports could get up to 77 MPH with the windshield off, and I figured with a Braje manufactured header and dual-carb manifold that this one should be able to do that, even now. I scrimped the money together to have $1500 in my pocket when I went out there. With a small loan from my gal and some manuevering of rent I barely made it. I took my pal Tim White out there with me as he had offered to do the paint if the body was sound. I don't know bondo from metal once the priming is all done, so I wanted to have his experienced eye look over what seemed to me to be a very clean body. He even put off band practice to see yet ANOTHER of what he calls "those ugly little clown cars." We unwrapped it again, and the body was as good as I remembered! Tim checked it out closely and finally gave it a thumbs up. The body was solid and pretty close to rust free. It even looked like someone had recently undercoated the body! I asked Harry again about the top frames, engine, gauges and the like. I could tell he didn't want to haul the engine out of the station wagon, and he guaranteed it, saying he'd checked it out when hebought it... he said he'd make sure I got a good motor. The best of the parts had to stay with the Hot Shot, since he had a lot more invested in it, but I told him I wasn't interested at all unless I got the top frame, windshield, complete motor, and two seats with the car. Gauges were no problem... he has several sets.

I told him I had $1500 in my pocket, and that if he'd take that, I'd buy the car. Long pause. Smoke that cigarette.... and he said, "ok." I counted out the cash and became a Crosley owner, sort of. We worked out the details of picking up the car.... I couldn't afford to have it moved for a couple of weeks, and he didn't want me to drag it across the front lawn while it was totally soaked since his neighbors are already complaining as it is. His son showed up as we were finishing up the wheeling-dealing and said, "didn't you pay $1900 for that car and then pay to have it trailered up here?" Harry wrote me out a bill of sale on a post-it-note, saying that I paid $200 for a Crosley Super Sport (he insisted on saving me the taxes at DMV, although I would have felt more comfortable having a receipt for $1500). While Harry was writing out the bill of sale his son told me, "my Dad used to have some BAD cars.... hemis, a 56 Thunderbird... cars that could really move! When he started getting into this stuff and the Morris's... and spending good money on 'em.... I told him, 'Dad, you keep buying this shit, I'm gonna put you in a home!'" Hmmmm. maybe this is why I don't have kids. After nearly a year of obsessive searching, calling all over the US, and looking at cars from Carson to Live Oak --and driving each and every one of my friends straight up the wall-- I was Officially a Crosley Owner... at least according to this pink slip, 2 new plates, and a post-it note. Back Next Home