There are numerous factors to take into consideration regarding what could be considered a good deal in the vintage auto market, and if having a large footprint isn’t high on your list, this 1948 Crosley CC Four might be a fun little attention getter for the money. For $4,500, this one seems like a lot of car for the investment, certainly not in size, but in quality, appearance, and hopefully readiness to get behind the wheel of and enjoy. This mini-mobile can be found here on Facebook Marketplace in New Richmond, Wisconsin, and it ticks some desirable boxes if you’re seeking r a small car for a small price. Nice find, NW Iowa Kevin, and thanks a lot for sending in the tip here!
Founded by Powell Crosley, Jr., Crosley Motors Incorporated began operations in 1939, manufacturing small automobiles until the company ceased operations in 1952. The CC Four was a post-war offering, with production running from 1946 through 1948, and this particular model is known as the fastback sedan. It’s said to have undergone a frame-off restoration, and while there’s no information about what this car looked like before, the exterior seems to be in excellent condition now. This one doesn’t quite qualify as a mini, but with an 80-inch wheelbase, it’s an uber-compact for sure, and check out that cool single light unit on the back!
It’s probably a plus that these cars are so small and light, since they don’t have much power under the hood. In the bay is a 44-cubic-inch inline-4, known as the CoBra, originally designed for military use in boats and aircraft. It first became available in automobiles in 1946, and with just 26.5 HP, it apparently took these vehicles nearly 40 seconds to reach 60 MPH from a standstill. The seller says the motor runs excellently, so as long as you’re not in a big hurry to reach a destination, this one will likely get you there slowly but surely.
Once inside, occupants will be surrounded by a somewhat minimalist interior, but the condition of the components in here appears to be strong. The steering wheel seems about as wide as the driver’s seat, and while the gauges are simple, they are also attractive, adequate, and get the job done. This seems like an interesting petite automobile, and at such an affordable price, I’m guessing this one will find a taker pretty quickly. What are your thoughts on this 1948 Crosley CC Four?
My thoughts are this car takes me back to my first real street car. Mine was a ’48 sedan on a ’49 chassis, white over light blue with ’39 Chevy taillights to augment the single unit. Fun to drive if you aren’t in a hurry.
Appears to be a great little car for someone who wants to get into a ‘classic’ at a low acquisition cost! Perfect for use around a development, though it doesn’t have the easiest access for groceries or golf clubs.
Question – I don’t see trafficators – does the driver have to make hand signals for turning??
Yes.
I was wondering that, too. I guess people would be looking for a handout. :)
That’s ONE way of putting it!
Nicest one I’ve ever seen. I have only ever seen one Crosley. It was at the old Loring Air force installation doing land speed test runs. He was clocking in at roughly 60 mph. LOL!
Just guessing, but I’ll bet this has the CIBA (Cast Iron Black Assembly) engine, as the CoBra was prone to pretty drastic failure and many, if not most, were replaced, either by Crosley or owners.
Doesn’t matter, except that a CoBra-equipped Crosley is not only an extremely rare sight (and should be priced much higher) but one that should be driven sparingly, if at all.
Oh, and for Fahrvergnugen: My grandfather’s ’50 Chevy didn’t have turn signals either, until he bought and installed an accessory kit from Manny, Moe & Jack.
Ray, the ad states this car has the cast iron engine, an upgrade which should make this more reliable as a driver.
Or the ’48/ ’49 cars got what parts were left over.
There used to be several Crosleys displayed at the arrivals terminal at CVG…they disappeared in the last couple of years. Powel Crosley’s family grave monument is beautiful, on a corner lot in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati.
Powel Crosley was an interesting guy – besides making automobiles, he built airplanes and household appliances (especially radios), operated radio stations and eventually got into TV broadcasting, and he owned the Cincinnati Reds baseball team for 27 years. We even had a Crosley clothes dryer in our house when I was growing up.
Crosley’s radio station WLW transmitted at 500,000 watts! It was said that the fillings in your teeth would receive the station if you were anywhere in the area of the transmitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbHjcwIoTiY
Back in the day, one could get Cincinnati Reds baseball games at night in half the US and a lot of Canada.
I’d have to add vintage A/C to make it a comfortable summer cruiser!
I think an a/c compressor requires about as much horsepower as the engine in this car. So you could be cool OR drive away. BUT NOT BOTH! (lol)
The new generation compressors don’t require much to turn. The old 2 cylinder units would eat V8s.
I’m going to agree with what Dave said above ( not me Dave, the other Dave lol). This looks like one of the nicest Crosleys we’ve seen on here. Great job on the bodywork. Owning one of these is on my bucket list. I may be very wrong here but didn’t these have interior door cards? The price is very reasonable too. Like what Todd J. Already said above, Powell Crosley was a very interesting gentleman who had a lot of interests. To be able to produce cars, radios, appliances etc is quite an accomplishment.
As mentioned, I had the “hots” for these back in HS but by the time I graduated and got my driver’s license in ’52, production had shut down.
Being a long-term FIAT guy with many years/miles experience with 600s, my immediate thought was to fit 600 tail lamps and license plate light to the rear. Did a “Scotty” and put these items on the rear view of this car with dramatic updating results… if you can call putting ’60-ish stuff on the back of a ’48 “dramatic updating.” At least there are two each brake and turn signal lights.
Oh, and if you chance to buy this, you’d better brush up on your double-clutching; it’s got a crashbox.
Lol…
I have a old 235 str8 six truck Standard on shifts like the manual crosley when idling right will shift with no clutch.
The FB listing says, “rebuilt cast iron motor”. So, worth verifying, but this could have the later CIBA (cast iron block assembly), which came out in early 1949, rather than the CoBra (copper brazed), OEM engine.
Looks like a fun little car for a parade price is very reasonable
Several years ago there used to be a weekend flea/antique market at the Mennen Arena in Morristown,NJ. I went there several times and saw a Crosley booth with some parts, photos, literature. I don’t remember the name of the man who owned the booth, but he was very nice and loved to talk about Crosleys. I guess he was from the NY, NJ area but they closed the market and I never saw him again.
There was also a man in the area, name I think was Klinger, who came to area shows and did Messershmitt cars.
I may still have some pictures on an old phone of one I found street-parked about 10 years ago. At the time I was driving an ’08 Toyota Yaris hatchback and was able to get some size comparison pics – overall length and height are in the same ballpark, the Crosley’s wheelbase (and wheels) were much shorter and the Yaris was almost half again as wide.
Battery looks larger than the engine!
My 4th grade teacher had one.
A friend’s mother was a teacher and she had one. I wondered if his mother was my teacher? But she taught in W Covina and I went to school in Pasadena.
I have a friend who has a Crosley pickup slowly rusting away.
I saw lots of these, in the days before the Volkswagen was being imported. Some 1947 models even had what looked like [factory] window-sreening in front of the radiator, where a grille would be. They were odd little “ducks” of flimsy-looking cars, but served the purpose of cheap secondary transportation. When I lived just east of New Albany, Ohio, the hamlet of about 270 people [now a majoy suburban city to Columbus] lay at the intersection of east-west Route #161 (good for going to Granville and Newark, or Westerville and Worthington, or points beyond) and northeast-southwest Route #62 (the main artery connecting Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati — all manner of Burma Shave signs — impossible to forget Fritch’s Big Boy in the Cincinnati area, to DIE for hambergers!); 700-WLW, Crosley Radio, was one of our stongest stations, about 15 miles northeast of Columbus on a farm. Even a child’s toy crystal set would pick it up with ease, and I think it carried the Cincinnati Red Legs baseball games. I’d love to have this car, just for nostalgic reasons.
IN THIS
WORLD OF
TOIL AND
SIN,
YOUR HEAD
GROWS BALD
BUT NOT
YOUR CHIN
— Bruma Shave.
Put WLS Chicago and WLAC Nashville, TN on your night time list.
WLS is EASY, loud and clear on 890; but I wish that foreign language station on 890 serving Boston would shut OFF!
WLAC is another matter. It’s on 1510, but so is WMEX in Quincy, Massachusetts. After WMEX drops power at sunset from.10,000 watts to 200 watts, then I get WLAC loud and clear… until sunset reaches Nashville and they put two deep nulls into their coverage, to keep their 50,000-watt signal out of the northeast and out of the northwest. Then they are very hard to hear at night, and there is a little New Jersey station that interferes. 1510 is not a good listening frequency where I am. But if you are in the south or the central midwest, WLAC is a “blowtorch”, a “master-blaster”. I remember visiting relatives in the Milwaukee area, back in 1959, when WMEX-1510 was in Boston, and had 5,000 watts ’round the clock. It had to null its signal towards Nashville and New London, Connecticut’s WNLC on 1510 (now defunct). WMEX back then blasted into upstate New York. But, out near Milwaukee, WLAC ruled 1510. But if I turned my radio to null-out WLAC, I could listen to WMEX pretty well — all the way out there! But of course, we also could hear 920-WOKY (“Waukee in Milwaukee”) here in northeastern New York, and they had only 1,000 watts. We do get 650-WSM from Nashville, however. 1540-KXEL from Waterloo, Iowa has similar programming to WLAC, and it is very strong, here. The problem, however, is a station on 1540 in Toronto, interfering with KXEL.
Speaking of men who manufactured both television sets and automobiles, and had the advertising manner of Crazy Eddie (whose “prices are IN-SANE!!!”); does anyone remember Mad Man Muntz? In 1949, when I bought a copy of Guy Lombardo’s “Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)” (a DECCA 78 which I still have and play, by the way), I never then knew how true those words would become, nor how short life would prove to be!
My grandfather was NOT an attorney, but he was handling the estate for a man and the estate owned a parcel on which was a used car lot.
He took me with him there one time.
I now think it was Mad Man Muntz’ used car lot.
THAT would be interesting to document, if you could.
Put a LS in it!
Keep it original! Enjoy it as Mr. Crosley designed it, with only Crosley’s own improvements.
@NW Iowa Kevin. Thanks for posting this Crosley. The ad is now down, do you know if it sold or is still available ? Thank you.