Hemmings Find of the Day – 1952 Crosley Super Sports

Published by Mike on August 26, 2013

The Braje high-performance parts installed on the engine are a good giveaway that while this 1952 Crosley Super Sports for sale on Hemmings.com looks stock on the outside, it’s benefited from some upgrades during its restoration. Not too many – a “big-block” 59-cu.in. Homelite Bearcat engine and a Fiat four-speed synchromesh transmission – not enough to take away from the character of the car, but enough to make it a little easier to drive. From the seller’s description:

This is a delightful 1952 Crosley Super Sports with a complete frame-off restoration. The Super Sports model was produced from 1951-1952 by Crosley Motors in Marion, Indiana. The Super Sports was similar to the Hotshot model except it had doors. 358 of the Super Sports model were produced in 1952, the last year of car production by Crosley Motors. The car was painted to replicate the original Canto Cream color along with red interior. The trim, hood ornament, bumpers, lights, wheels and covers, windshield and the soft top were finished to their original appearance. The engine was manufactured by Homelite Corporation, who acquired rights to the Crosley engine design in 1961 for use in boat outboard motors. Homelite increased the displacement to 59 CI with a 10:1 compression ratio, enabling a rated 55 HP at 5500 rpm. The engine is equipped with performance parts from Braje Speed Equipment – Gardena, CA (intake manifold, exhaust manifold, valve and side covers and oil pan). The transmission has been upgraded to a Fiat 4-speed synchromesh from the 1960′s. The original Crosley transmission was 3-speed, non-synchromesh, which was challenging for most drivers. The car has the original Bendix drum brakes, which were adopted by Crosley in 1950 to replace disc brakes which suffered from winter corrosion. This car has a way of upstaging the big cars at the car shows.