Super Sporty? 1951 Crosley Super Sport

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Crosley’s Super Sport was a high-performance–okay, relative to the stock sedans–version of the tiny before their time economy cars that made up the bulk of Crosley sales. Did you know that a Crosley Hot Shot (basically a Super Sport without opening doors) very similar to this won the first 12 Hours of Sebring race? This 1951 Super Sport is for sale here on eBay, with a buy it now of $3,950 but you are welcome to make an even lower offer. It’s in Bluffton, South Carolina if you’re interested.

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Here’s a page from a Crosley brochure pointing out the creature comforts of the Super Sports. Real plastic leather!

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The little car looks pretty darned solid despite its coat of many colors, and the seller states there is “basically no rust.” All the chrome is with the car, and there’s a top frame there as well with an original top for duplication purposes. By the way, the seller says that those red seats have been recovered.

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Just think–it’s Super! And, of course, being a Crosley, it had to have a radio (although I don’t see it with the car currently). I’ve been looking closely at these pictures trying to decide what the original color was; do you have an opinion?

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Here’s the, well, rather rudimentary dashboard. I’m guessing that Crosley radio would have gone in the empty slot towards the right of the picture? The odometer is showing 25,583 miles. Do you think that could be original?

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The seller has taken care of all the mechanical issues and offers to send a video of them driving the car to anyone who requests it. The engine “purrs like a kitten” and the brakes have just been redone also. It really does look like what the next owner will need to do is install the windshield and top frame, source a new top in case you get called outside, and paint it (unless you like the multi-colored look it has now). I think this is an incredible bargain for this diminutive American sports car–what do you think?

 

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Comments

  1. Jesse Mortensen JesseStaff

    Dang it Jamie! I’ve wanted one of these for a while, but haven’t seen an affordable project in a long time. If it weren’t so far way, I would already be negotiating with the seller. Maybe I’d better start looking here a little closer. There’s got to be quite a few of these little guys still around. Right?

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  2. Jamie Palmer JamieAuthor

    Jesse, I could always store it for you… 🤔

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  3. Chip Lamb

    Too late!

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  4. Dean Beckman

    Chip, Did you buy the Crosley Super ?

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  5. ScottyStaff

    That’s a killer deal! Or, it was, dang you, Chip Lamb! (kidding, congrats!)

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  6. Chip Lamb

    I needed something to take to Hershey for the car corral … got something coming back so I guess the trailer and I will be up the road. Seller is a friend, I saw it as soon as he listed it and we went back and forth on the price until early afternoon. Our Savannah shop being just around the corner made it a good idea.

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  7. DolphinMember

    Well a Crosley did win the first 12 Hours of Sebring, but IIRC it won on the Index of Performance measure, not outright on distance/speed. They punch above their weight, but lots of cars are faster. The Index took into consideration the engine size as well as performance on the track in terms of a calculated index, which gave the little Crosley the (calculated) win. I think they changed the way they decided who won the following year to the usual time/distance criterion.

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  8. Ben T Spanner

    The Dueche Bonet (SIC?), Lemans Coupe also won a index of performance with a 850 cc Panhard 2 cylinder. Back in 1966 or 1967 I knew a guy whose daily driver was a Crosley super sport with a Lancia non -syncronized gear box.

    Powell Crosley’s greatest invention was the Crosley Shelve-A-Door. The first refrigerator with shelves in the door.

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  9. Steve

    Had a friend in college whose brother was named Crosley ’cause her father liked the cars. Road in one once, although not a Super, and it was like what my father said about riding in an early Corvette – “like dragging your butt on corduroy!”

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  10. Alan Brase

    That was too cheap.
    Al

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  11. Wolfgang Gullich

    What she really needs is a Braje head!

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  12. Brian

    I’m not familiar with these cars. My GF has been interested in a small 50’s or 60s roadster for years. I’m relatively familiar with the Datsun roadsters (mostly because of having worked on Z cars and other Japanese cars of the era) and I feel like those cars have acceptable reliability that she could drive one.

    How does the reliability of a good-condition Crosley compare?

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  13. Alan Brase

    The Crosley is nowhere close to being a practical transportation. It is so small, you would have to be a masochist to try driving it often. A bug eyed Sprite would be a lot easier and even that is really not practical. Having worked for a British Leyland dealer in about 1970, I will say the Brit cars of that period were pretty bad. A Datsun would be like 4 times as good. If it appeals to you, the Miata is basically the same theme, but with 3 decades more engineering. Certainly that later Honda or GM offerings of roadsters, might be pretty good, but I think nothing can beat a Miata for smiles per dollar.
    Al

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  14. Brian

    Sounds like a Crosley just wouldn’t fit the bill. I’m gonna keep looking for a Datsun roadster.

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  15. Chip Lamb

    Brian, I just put the seats back in this car today, put the driver’s seat in the rear-most position, I am more cramped in an E-Type at 6’2″ than I am in the Super Sports.
    C

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  16. Jesse Mortensen Jesse MortensenStaff

    Looks like Chip listed the car back on eBay after buying it and bidding only got up to $4,100. Still seems like a good deal for a cool little project. Wish it would have been closer…

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