Once again, from the fertile imagination of Powel Crosley and just out of sixty-seven years of storage, we have a Crosley vehicle for consideration. This one is on craigslist, a CD Super Wagon, with an asking price of $8500. Bearing Alaska plates, the wagon has recently become a snowbird and is now residing in Los Angeles, California. The seller indicates the model year is 1948, and that’s possible, but it has headlights in its fenders and the square gauge of a later car. T.J. is responsible for this pint-sized tip – thanks T.J.! The 1948 wagon was Crosley’s best-selling vehicle, with more than 23,000 finding homes. But major automakers were launching new post-war designs, striking a note of exuberance that contrasted with Crosley’s “economy” approach. And Crosley’s innovative but imperfect overhead cam, Copper Brazed (CoBra) sheet metal engine, among other issues, damaged the company’s reputation.  Sales plunged in 1949 and every year thereafter until Crosley Motors closed its doors forever on July 4, 1952.

Until 1949, Crosley used the aforementioned CoBra engine (aka the “Mighty Tin”), a 44 cu. in. overhead cam four-cylinder producing 26.5 hp, paired with a three-speed non-synchro manual. Top speed was about 50 mph. The brakes were mechanical. The CoBra motor with all its ancillaries including the flywheel only weighed 133 lbs. But it had a tendency to come apart if mistreated and was replaced in 1949 with a conventional cast-iron block that Crosley dubbed CIBA. This motor remained in production for decades after Crosley’s failure. It achieved fame on the track, both here and in Europe’s 750 cc classes. This car’s oil-bath air cleaner has gone missing, and it doesn’t run.

The interior is sagging from age. The radio blanking plate is present, but the grille mesh in the oval opening is missing. The rear seats are no better than the fronts. Anecdotes from the era warn that the back seat area isn’t too accommodating and that if you’re over six feet tall, it’s difficult to see out of the windshield when driving. The Super trim usually came with a heater, which is not in evidence.

This example has the rare “barn-type” rear door; most opened in clamshell fashion. The insert panels were either faux wood provided in “Blonde” or “Walnut”, or basketweave, or painted, usually body color. One charming feature is the propeller at the center of the grille. How much should one pay for the smallest station wagon on the planet? Well, prices are all over the lot. Here’s one at a sky-high price of $48,500. This CD Wagon sold for just over $21k. Or there’s this little guy at $16,900. These prices are a far cry from the low four digits of just a few years ago. What would it take to put this one in your garage?