Vehicle Description
This 1951 Crosley Wagon is absolutely pristine throughout. Gorgeous Cream and Wood Exterior with an impeccable Tan interior. Powered by a 4-cylinder motor with 3-speed manual transmission. The little Crosley wagon is one of those cars that elicits smiles from the driver, passengers, and bystanders alike. Same owner since 1977, this extremely rare Crosley came out of an exclusive private collection of approximately 40 Crosleys. 'A Fine Car' was the Crosley motto. If you ever wondered who built the first 'Sport Utility Vehicle', what the first American car with caliper disk brakes or who produced the first successful single overhead cam engine, you certainly wouldn't think of Crosley. Crosley also produced the first American sports car, the 'Hot Shot' and those little cars did win races. This outstanding example of an extremely rare and important piece of American automobile history will make a fine addition to any collection and is ready to drive, show, and enjoy for years to come.Cincinnati industrialist Powel Crosley Jr., made his fortune in radios and appliances. When his young son wanted a wireless radio, a new item then, Crosley was shocked by their price in excess of $100. He recognized the appeal of radio and began manufacturing $9.75 radios. By 1924, Crosley Radio Corporation was the largest radio manufacturing company in the world and later came out with the first push-button radio. He ventured into radio broadcasting to sell more radios and his Cincinnati Station, WLW, was the most powerful station in the world. Crosley developed some of the earliest "soap operas" with sponsorship by the Cincinnati soap manufacturer Procter & Gamble Co.In 1934, Crosley purchased the Cincinnati Reds professional baseball team and renamed their stadium Crosley Field. He had electric lights installed and on May 24, 1935, the first nighttime game in baseball history was held between the Reds and the Philadelphia "Phillies." Attendance at the night games was up 400% over daytime events. Much later, Crosley branched into television and the Cincinnati Reds baseball team became the first sports program ever broadcast on television in color.By the late 1930s, he owned both the Crosley Broadcasting Corp. and the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. His ambitious plan was to build a small, inexpensive, and economical car here in the States. In May 1939, the new company showed its first car at the Indianapolis Speedway: a 4-place convertible that weighed in at less than 1,000 pounds, and sold for $250. In 1939, Crosley Motors, Inc. built a small car with a wheel base of 80-inches, a weight of 925 pounds, and a selling price of $350. Crosley sold 5,757 of these small cars before he converted his factories into manufacturing bomb fuses during World War II. After the war he resumed building small cars and in 1949 introduced the first disc brakes. This new "Crosley" sold for $850 and got 45 miles to the gallon. About 75,000 of these small economy cars were sold before closing down production in 1952 because gasoline was cheap in the 1950s the American public was then demanding larger automobiles.For more information, or to arrange for a private viewing of this fabulous and extremely rare 1951 Crosley Wagon, contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable sales consultants today or feel free to drop by our 5-acre Park Place Center in Bellevue, WA - Home to the West Coast's Most Diverse Inventory of Luxury, Exotic, Collectible and Special Interest Automobiles. With 200+ Always On Site, Nobody Has What We Have!
