With SUVs making up about half of US vehicle sales in 2019 and a lot of them being gigantic seven-seat models, it’s fun to see a simple and tiny ancestor to those ubiquitous hulking luxury barges in this 1950 Crosley Farm-O-Road. The seller has this tiny tot listed at no reserve here on eBay in West Sacramento, California. The current bid price is just over $4,000 and with no reserve, it’s going to a new home in just over a day.
This sure is a cute little thing, isn’t it? At just over 7.5-feet long and 1,100 pounds, the Crosley Farm-O-Road wouldn’t do well in a crash test against a new Chevy Suburban but neither would your decades-old car or truck, most likely. We have all sorts of risk factors in life and if we all hide in our basements all day long to make sure that we never get hurt, we also will never have any fun or experience life outside of our protective cocoons.
The Farm-O-Road was made by Crosley, a company that most of us know for their equally-cute little cars, pickups, sports cars, and station wagons, and, of course, their radios. The Farm-O-Road was made in 1950, 1951, and 1952 and they were somewhat similar to the Crofton Bug but the Crofton Bug was actually based on the Crosley Farm-O-Road and those vehicles came out in 1958, several years after the Crosley F-O-R was gone. Powel Crosley Jr. had already made a fortune in the auto parts business by the time he ventured into radios and broadcasting in 1925. His first car came out in 1939 and they were gone by the end of 1952.
The seller says that this Farm-O-Road has a rebuilt engine, which should have been a 44 cubic-inch Crosley Cast Iron Block Assembly (CIBA) with just under 27 horsepower. There is, or was, or maybe still is (?) rust to deal with and they say that the body had rust but it was sandblasted and powder-coated with primer. I’m not sure what that means because there appears to be a sea of rust holes almost everywhere on the deck. In any case, this vehicle is worth restoring as they’re rare and they can bring a nice return on the investment if the next owner can do most of the work him/herself. Have any of you seen a Crosley Farm-O-Road?
“At just over 7.5-feet long and 1,100 pounds, the Crosley Farm-O-Road wouldn’t do well in a crash test against a new Chevy Suburban”
Is it terrible that I kinda would like to see a crash test like that though?
I have actually heard of these years ago. I think they are cute.
Nice find, Scotty. In the words of my late Grandmother (normally reserved for small pets), “Oh; look at it’s little face.” lol My brain couldn’t get a sense of its scale (two feet long? ten?) but here’s a YouTube video. It’s definitely not a toy. The perfect service vehicle for Martha’s Vineyard or anywhere where vintage micros become “Beach Cars,” a fancy alternative to a golf cart. Nice write-up on a vehicle I would have never known about! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVSLetHUTZY
Take that old tired motor out & restomod it by putting a SUZUKI GSXR motor in it with tire & suspension mods & be fast as you dare & the envy of whoever sees it
Line it up next to a John Deere Gator.
Similar color and functionality.
“…sandblasted and powder-coated with primer….” agreed, that’s a mouthfull of misnomers~
used a lill like some do 2day w/a ‘side-ba-side’ I can’t see the utility. Toy, sure. I’d want a minimoke or similar 4WD to get upa hill’n check the sunset or haul a lill trailer of H2O to the hogs (on the way-back of the property due to stink).
Find A Shriner………..
SOLD for $6,610.
Crosley car and truck owners (or anyone, actually) are welcome in the Crosley Car Owners Club, which is free to join and hasn’t assessed any dues since 1970. http://www.Facebook.com/CrosleyCarClub