Vehicle Description
1942 Crosley CB42 Convertible Cabriolet
A sort of 'cart before the horse,' Powel Crosley, Jr. pioneered a
low-cost radio receiver. Shortly thereafter, he founded WLW, a
high-power broadcasting station in Cincinnati, Ohio, to give his
radio's something to receive. He was an individual who dabbled in
many different industries, including refrigeration. He created a
Crosley Shelvador refrigerator with shelves in the door. T his
design would become the standard for all modern fridges. In 1939,
he introduced the Crosley automobile. His vehicles were small and
offered at a low cost. The first was a Spartan roadster powered by
an air-cooled Waukesha flat-twin engine.
For consignment and fresh out of barn storage, this extremely rare
pre war 1942 CB42 Convertible Cabriolet from Crosley. Produced
prior to the beginnings of World War II and one of the approximate
1,029 units built during that time, this mini skate has seen better
days but is still holding its own and is fairly complete with
including the convertible canvas. In 2019 the Crosley Automobile
Club stated that less than 80 Crosleys are accounted for of all the
body styles built for the 1942 model year and we aren't certain if
this unit is in that number count. Either way, it's small, it's
rare, and frankly I'm in absolute love with all of its charm and
styling that still holds strong today.
NO TITLE-SOLD ON A BILL OF SALE ONLY
Exterior
Small and quirky would best describe this pint sized drop top. This
example shows as unrestored in a patina riddled black finish
overtop the factory Sequoia Cream. Dents and dings abound with
evidence of body filler in a few areas, and some invasive rust has
eaten through the seam between the body and back of the driver's
and passenger's fender joint. Much smaller scale than other cars of
the day, but still using similar styling with pontoon fenders with
horizontal grille bars cut in down low on the front and an overall
parrot beaked appearance to the leading edge of the car and
V-shaped hood. Brackets for the front bumper are seen but the
bumper itself is gone and replaced by a thin black metal strip. The
fenders slowly thin as they dip down and melt into the pint sized
running boards under the cabriolet style framed doors. These
running boards thin out as they run rearward and meet up with the
arched rear fenders. Chrome is kept to a minimum with only the door
handles and back bumper with the driver's handle being surface
rusted and pitted. The framework for the manually folding top is
present and the canvas covering has undergone several and sundry
repairs including caulk, duct tape and stitching, but it still
suffers from dry rot, staining and seams pulling away due to thread
stitching rotting away. Moving around back we note a stylish angled
rear body tub, reminiscent of the Ford convertible sedans of a few
years earlier, with a single tail light on the left hand side and a
mustache thin bumper in black below. Red painted 12-inch wheels
with chrome Crosley moon capped centers are on all 4 corners to
finish things off. Also this car does have its hood ornament but is
missing the hood side panel Crosley badging.
Interior
Swinging open the light but long doors we see the remnants of 2 low
back buckets covered with reddish brown vinyl and in the back we
see a simple red bench. The seats are in need of recovering with
the front buckets missing their upper padding and vinyl covers and
the seats are in poor cracked and open to stuffing condition. These
are fronted by a Sequoia Cream metal dash with trio of circular
aged white faced Crosley gauges in dash central. A few knobs and
pulls surround the gauges as well as the ignition switch. Facing
the passenger is a small metal glovebox door. Surface rust and
steel patches make up the flooring and from under the dash rises
the long arm black ball topped shifter. Rounding out our tour we
can see a structurally sound top framing in place.
Drivetrain
A lift of the mini hood reveals an unrestored engine bay that holds
a 35.3ci air cooled flat 2 cylinder engine. This tiny mill is
capable of producing 12hp and is fed by a 1-barrel carburetor. A
bit of trivia for those out of the know...the flywheel design,
while not only coupling the engine to the transmission also works
to help keep the engine cool. Think of it as a fan of sorts. The
engine is backed up by a three-speed transmission which sends power
to a 5.40 geared rear axle.
Undercarriage
A healthy dose of patina, surface rust and some invasive rust on
the flooring greets us with a look underneath. The frame structure
appears solid, but a serious amount of investigation should be
performed to verify everything is intact. The bar to hold the front
bumper has been rusted through at the curved mounting bar below the
body mounting bolts. Leaf spring suspension is seen up front and in
the rear are quarter elliptical leaf springs. Drum brakes are noted
on all 4's.
A rarity among rarities and possibly one of less than a handful
left in existence. Yes, it needs TLC on all fronts, but it's fairly
complete, easy to work on and won't take up much space in your
garage. And the fruits of your labor could have you looking like a
million bucks. Maybe even add the optional Crosley radio for some
period correct kewl factor....oh honey, clean the nicknacks out of
the garage...I may be bringing home a small piece of history.
NO TITLE-SOLD ON A BILL OF SALE ONLY
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
