1955 Crosley Special

The Crosley automobiles were economical, lightweight, and small. They were also slow, so after World War II they purchased the rights to a water-cooled, lightweight, four-cylinder engine designed by Lloyd Taylor of California. It was a small, 44 cubic-inch engine that was intended to be used in generators. It proved to be a rather impressive engine when used in small-bore road racing cars.

The first Crosley-Taylor engines were called the COBRA, for their COpper BRAzed construction. They had a thin-wall steel block, and head, ports, and water jackets brazed together from thin sheet steel.

Next came the CIBA engine, which was similar to the COBRA but had a cast-iron block and integral cylinder head.

Road racer recognized the engine's potential and became modifying and using it for small-displacement classes. In stock form, the engine offered around 26 horsepower. Racing versions, however, were often producing over 60 horsepower in the early 1950s. During most of the 1950s, the Crosley engine dominated the H-Modified racing class.

The H-Modified racing class allowed any closed wheeled purpose-built race car with a cubic displacement of 750cc or less to compete. In 1962, the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) increased the size to 850cc. Most of the cars were front-engined. This class was designed to encourage low-cost racing and rewarded those with ingenuity and creativity.

by Dan Vaughan

Sports Racer

This Crosley-Fiat Special was built in the 1950s for SCCA H-modified racing. It origins and early race history are not known. In 2004, it was discovered in disassembled condition and soon after, was given a three-year restoration. The fiberglass body was unable to be repaired, so a replacement body was fabricated from the original pieces.

This Crosley Special has a tube chassis, fiberglass body, a race-tuned 759cc Crosley four-cylinder engine, a four-speed Fiat gearbox, and Disc brakes.

Since the car has been restored, it has actively campaigned in vintage competition.

by Dan Vaughan

Sports Racer
Chassis number: 1

The car was built by Mr. Floyd Shannon during 1954-1955. Floyd used small steel tubing to build the frame, similar to the space frames used in the European race cars. The engine, rear axle, and some drive components came from the Crosley passenger car which was made in Cincinnati, Ohio from the 1940s to the early 1950s. Due to its small size, the Crosley engine was a popular choice to suit the H-mod classification. The engine is built sturdy and is well suited for high RPM modifications needed in racing applications.

Floyd was assisted by Mr. Bill Merrill, who designed and hand-built the double 'A' arm front suspension system. This suspension system accounts for the good handling ability.

The car was successfully raced by Floyd at venues in California, with Riverside Raceway being his home track. Floyd later sold the car to Ms. Pat Copland who also raced it with success. The car passed through different drivers until being stored in a barn for a number of years.

The current owner acquired the car in 1997 in pool condition. Over six years were spent restoring it to its present condition. The car has been competing in historic racing since 2003.