1948 Crosley Wagon

Description

OFFERED WITHOUT RESERVE

Hagerty Marketplace is honored to offer another selection of vehicles from The SugarCreek Collection. This private collection in southwestern Ohio is supported by its own in-house restoration and maintenance shop, with a full-time staff of craftsmen. The garage is a true spectrum of car enthusiast dreams, ranging from unfinished restorations to the most recent sale of the SEMA-exhibited 1,000 HP 1962 Dodge Power Wagon, supporting the Mike Rowe WORKS Foundation. Thirty select cars from the collection are being offered just in time for spring. Whether awaiting restoration, preserved showroom stock, restored to like-new, or tastefully modified, these cars and trucks are truly SugarCreek quality. 

* * * 

Powel Crosley Jr. insisted that he'd never made more than $20 a week until he was 30 years old, but the quirky entrepreneur was never short on ambition. Practical and determined, the Cincinnati native worked a string of jobs at an early age before creating the Crosley Radio Corporation in 1921. By applying mass manufacturing techniques from the automotive industry to his radio factory, he earned the nickname "The Henry Ford of Radio" and grew the business into one of the largest radio manufacturers in the world. Capitalizing on that success, Crosley purchased his hometown Cincinnati Reds baseball team in 1934 and owned it until his death in 1961. However, automotive enthusiasts know him best for Crosley Motors, which he created in 1939 with the goal of producing affordable, compact cars that would be accessible to a wide range of consumers. 

The Crosley Wagon was introduced in 1947 and was the company's best-selling model until production ended in 1952. The wagon was an all-steel, lightweight vehicle built on an 80-inch wheelbase and powered by a 44.2 cu-in inline-four engine producing around 26.5 horsepower. It was notable for its overhead camshaft design, which was quite advanced for its time. 

Highlights 

• Offered from The SugarCreek Collection  

• Finished in yellow paint over red dash and saddle vinyl interior (driver’s seat has been recovered in black) 

• Powered by a 44.2 cu-in inline-four engine producing 26.5 hp 

• Three-speed manual non-synchromesh transmission 

  Features 

• Luggage rack on roof 

• Fat Tire New Belgium Brewing beer tap handle serves as gear shift knob  

• Split windshield  

• Four-wheel drum brakes 

• 70 mph speedometer and odometer with 4-in-1 gauge cluster (fuel, amps, oil pressure, and water temperature) 

• Aftermarket tachometer and engine vacuum gauge on steering column 

• 4.50 x 12 blackwall tires 

• Rear tailgate and flip-up hatch 

• Large driver’s side-mounted radio antenna (but no radio) 

Known Imperfections 

• All body panels show some combination of paint chips or scuffs 

• Front cowl shows paint scratches and some discoloration 

• Long scratch behind passenger side door 

• Driver side door doesn’t close completely 

• Long horizontal body imperfections on passenger side fender and door 

• Small paint chips on rims 

• Some discoloration on whitewall tires 

• Tear on side of driver side seat cover 

• Glass broken around left instrument gauge 

• Rust around gauge chrome trim rings 

• Rust on steering column mounting brackets 

• Scratches and discoloration on dashboard 

• Scuffs on inner rear quarter panels 

• Fuel filler neck gasket is cracked 

• Battery tray shows rust and holes 

• Radiator support shows discoloration 

• Weatherstripping is cracked 

• Window guide felt has broken down 

• Back of rear seat cover is scuffed 

• Roof shows paint chips, scuffs, and some discoloration

Included 

• Surfboard 

• Red fuzzy dice 

• Recent service records 

Ownership History 

This 1948 Crosley Wagon joined The SugarCreek Collection in 2022 and has no available ownership history information other than recent service records.  

Additional Notes    

A Broad Arrow Auctions Specialist is working as an agent on behalf of the owner of this vehicle. Broad Arrow Auctions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hagerty.