1948 Crosley CC Convertible

Crosley was a small, independent American manufacturer of subcompact cars, bordering on microcars. At first called the Crosley Corporation and later Crosley Motors Incorporated, the Cincinnati, Ohio, firm was active from 1939 to 1952, interrupted by World War II production.

The Crosley CC models include all the standard models such as station wagon, sedan, convertible, panel delivery and pickup. The CC series was introduced in mid-1946 and were referred to as 1947 model year. Since they have a unique serial number, most people refer to them as 1946 models. Production of CC models ran through late 1948.

Even though Crosley was shipping an all-new body and a new engine, most of the rest of the chassis and brakes were left over from pre-war production.

These little cars were well built but underpowered even in their day. The 44 cubic-inch engine was a novel design first used during World War II to power generators for the US Navy. Called the CoBra for the novel copper brazing method of steel stampings to create the upper block. The bottom end was cast aluminum. The little engine performed beyond expectations in the wartime generators but use in automobiles proved troublesome. Galvanatic action between the dissimilar metals and the corrosive effects of the antifreezes of the time lead to premature failures. Crosley switched to a cast iron block in 1949, and you will find this block under the hood of nearly all running Crosleys today, including this one,