In 1939, the Crosley was introduced by renowned industrialist and Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball team owner, Powel Crosley, Jr. The components were built in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio and had assembly plants in both Richmond and Marion, Indiana. In period, it may have been considered a ‘poor mans’ form of transportation, but this was dispelled by the large number of notables who owned Crosley automobiles over the years. This list includes Humphrey Bogart, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Lloyd Wright, President Eisenhower and Nelson Rockefeller to name but a few. Clearly, there was significant appeal for this early and forward thinking microcar.

In 1939 the Crosley was offered as a Convertible Coupe and a Convertible Sedan. The one and only option for the Convertible Coupe was an added rear seat; despite the near-identical exterior appearance, the two-door with a rear seat became a Convertible Sedan. This example has the optional rear seat, but with the radiused side-window frames, it shows that this a convertible coupe that has had the rear seat added. The convertible sedan is identified by squared-off side-window frames.

The car is powered by 580-cc, 13-hp opposed two-cylinder engine that was produced by Waukesha Engines of Waukesha, Wisconsin. The three-speed, plus reverse, transmission was built by Warner Transmission.

This car was completely disassembled and stripped down to bare metal, with no dents or body rust found. The car had been stored inside its entire life.

It has the original front windshield and headlight glass, along with the very rare lightning-bolt hubcaps found only on the first two years of production. It still sports the emergency brake chain support with the original grab knob. The chassis has a complete rebuild. The engine and transmission were gone through and the rear main seal upgraded by the owner-engineer to not leak any oil. It has an NOS carburetor on it, along with the correct air cleaner.

The Crosley has a two-tone paint scheme with a complimentary interior. It is fitted with a rear-mounted spare with cover and also sports an original license plate from the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

It has been on the cover of Microcar News magazine and won a Best of Show award at the John Force Holiday Car Show. It runs and drives as excellent as it looks. This is perhaps the nicest 1939 Crosley Convertible Coupe in the country.