As I have mentioned previously, there seems to always be something automotive related going on down here in the Birthplace of Speed. Often times that would be a car show or a cruise in, but not always. A buddy of mine, Rick, who is also known at the Alfa guy, has a shop over on the mainland that is filled with vintage Alfa Romeos. This Crosley pickup, which he received as a gift on his 14th birthday in 1965, is his shop truck.
Well, across the alley behind his shop is a storage lot which this olelongrooffan happens to accidentally drive by every few weeks just to see what is up. After my nephew’s high school graduation yesterday, I thought I would pass by it and see what was to be seen. Well, that Peugeot 505 Turbo Diesel was still there. But the 55 Ford Panel Delivery must have been sold as it was removed thus exposing
a pair of rarely seen anymore Opel GTs. However, I would suspect these rusting, once desirable, little GTs are normally powered, unlike another one mentioned previously. And while I was bummed that 55 Panel Delivery slipped from my grasp, at least
that cool Travco is still around to entice my lust factor for all things old and totally impractical.
That Crosley is so ugly , only its’ mother could love it…..
I like PSA turbo diesels I have one as a daily drive but in Citroen clothes the power train from that 505 would cram into my Hillman and improve the performance.
There is always a Peugeot
I had the red station wagon version of that Crosley for a while when I was in grad school at OSU. Bought it from my landlord, and once drove it all the way from Corvallis to Monroe and back. Quite a journey…. After a couple of months I towed it to the old homestead and sold it to my old mechanic there. I never saw it again; I suspect that he knew someone who was into Crosleys.
Regarding that Travco, few things are actually more practical than the older, well-built motorhomes (assuming you like to travel and/or camp, of course).
Unless you get very lucky, there’s usually a lot of work to do but once it’s done you can easily get utility and comfort that rivals that of much costlier alternatives.
It’s extremely rare to see a Crosley–at least with all four wheels on the ground. You still see them up on poles as business signs for wrecking yards–they’ve been an industry favorite for that purpose since my childhood in the ’60s.
Don’t get me wrong–I love old survivors of this type and would be thrilled to have something like this. And in some ways they were ahead of their time–look at those triangular reinforcements between the cab and bed–does that say proto-Avalanche or what?