Given the excellent Crosley History in our Archives, I’m not going to cover that ground again. But that’s not going to stop us from admiring this little cutie, pulling out our magnifying glass, and taking a closer look at this comic-book pickup.
The most interesting part of the little Crosley is under the hood, so let’s start there. I didn’t ask, but there’s almost no doubt that this 1947 had its original troublesome COBRA engine replaced by the later cast-iron CIBA mill.
The COBRA (“COpper BRAzed”) was originally developed by Lloyd Taylor of Taylor Engines for use aboard PT boats and in B-17 bombers during WW2. Since light weight was the top priority, the block was brazed together from stamped sheet steel, with a unitary block/head. The bare block weighed just 14.8 lbs (6.7 kg). This appears to be the bottom of the cylinder block and head, separated from its crankcase.
Here’s another picture looking from above. The single overhead camshaft was driven by a shaft that came up through the tube in the front of the block, and was driven by bevel gears. The Cobra engined weighed 133 lbs complete with its flywheel. It displaced 724 cc, and made 26 hp, and gave adequate service in its military use, where service was regular, and units were readily replaced if faulty.In civilian use, electrolysis soon made “The Mighty Tin” engines essentially useless, and Crosley had a major problem on its hands.
The solution was the 1949 CIBA (“Cast Iron Block Assembly”), whose name is self explanatory (modified high-performance version shown). It was largely the same otherwise, except for the new block/head assembly. And most Cobras were replaced by it. The CIBA came too late to save Crosley, but it made a nifty little sports/racing engine, and acquitted itself on Midget tracks.
As well on sports car venues, like this Crosley Hotshot sports car at Sebring in 1950. Americas own Bugeye Sprite, but a few years too soon.
Here’s the driver’s compartment, a pretty sparse place but not unlike many small imports from Europe at the time.
This one’s even graced with the optional heater.
I can’t readily find dimensions for the bed, but suffice to so say that it’s mighty small. I guess it did the trick for certain purposes; frankly, it’s probably about the same size as the Model A Pickup. Times change.
The front styling is a bit strange, looking like it’s sprouted a mustache. Crosley was desperately trying to make his mini-mobiles look a bit more like the real cars rolling off Detroit’s assembly lines for not much more than he had to charge. It was all an exercise in futility. Sales peaked in 1948, with all of 24, 871 units sold. And then it went downhill until the end in 1952.
Needless to say, the remaining Crosleys have pretty much all ended up in the hands of their devoted owners. I can see the appeal: it must be one of the cheapest cars ever to restore!
Crosley would have benefited from export sales. Outside the US, micro sized pickups have always had niche like the Austin A35, Suzuki Mighty Boy and Daihatsu Midget.
I remain oddly fascinated by these. I would have thought that the wagons would have made great mail delivery vehicles, especially in rural areas.
And the concept of a sheetmetal engine block is also intriguing. Its light weight is amazing, but there are so many things that could (and apparently did) go wrong in that design. When you think about it, the engine block may be the least changed part of an internal combustion engine from the early days of the auto. The one-piece casting of Henry Ford (at least for a V8) and the substitution for aluminum instead of cast iron seems to be the extent of practical innovation.
Also, I think “CIBA” is for Cast Iron Block Assmebly rather than Crosley Cast Iron Assembly (which would be “CCIA”.
Me thinks you’re right about that. I’m lousy at the keyboard, sadly.
The 600 was America’s introduction to Honda cars. It was also a microcar like the Crosley, but within a couple years, Honda brought to the US a larger Civic – which today looks like a microcar. What Crosley needed to have done was launch a larger car after WWII. Larger, but similarly stark and simple. By the time the Post War auto boom was fading, Crosley could have established itself within the compact car field that Hudson, Nash, Kaiser and Willys worked to create. Crosley would have had a decade long head start over the other Independants had they done figured out what Honda figured out twenty years later.
Start mini and strong – then launch a compact.
An American 2CV?
I’d seen a couple of the later wagon-based pickups but never seen one of the earlier round-fendered ones like this in person.
Cute but not much use to me,I’m just over 6’1″ tall and built like Vanessa Feltz.
Let’s see, a quick Google Image search for “Vanessa Feltz” and OMG! I mean, quite nice, really.
My dad likes to tell the story of when he was a kid, my grandfather had one of these. He used to take four children in the back to vacation bible school in the back of the bed. It was the 50’s, and it was a half mile from their farm to the church – something that couldn’t be done in that section of Pennsylvania today. There weren’t any sidewalks in their village, and walking four young children along a fairly busy state road wasn’t an option.
Before I got involved with CC, I parked near a Morris Mini pickup at work one afternoon. I still kick myself for not getting photos…
The GPO(British Post Office) had these pick ups and the van for many yearsThe pick up could often be seen with a builder or painters work stuff and ladders in the bed quite a lot in the 60s and 70s.It’s a long time since I’ve seen any Mini pick ups or vans as most were treated the same way a peasant treats a donkey and beaten to death.
Interesting to see this mini-ute. Did they do a cab-only version too, that inevitably gets turned into a mini-fire truck? (see attachement)
I think the load are looks more practical than the Austin A30 ute, the A30 actually resembles the Crosley in many ways.
Austin A30 pickup didn’t have any sort of a tailgate. It was really a way to get around some taxes.
This is a very cute truck,is it for sale and how much
I was to buy this very vehicle, in Washington State. Five grand. They ghosted me. Money in my hand. Transportation arranged. They must have sold it to someone else who offered more dough.
What’s the asking price?