Straight to the Pros...
French?
Not French...
Well it looks like a Crosley, so if it's rare, may it be the Crosmobile?
Not the name I have...
Is looks like a plain old Crosley Deluxe Sedan, circa 1949 or 50. So, is it a variant built or sold under a different name?
This car was a special project by a different company....
But is used a Crosley body, at least?
I'll check the article and report soon...
...but I believe You are right....
The company you're looking for isn't by any chance General Tire and Rubber ?
I'll check but I remember another name, with other interests...
Not General Tire and Rubber, but another company and the base is a Crosley...
Let's see. When the company sold out to General Tire, they ceased production, and didn't sell the tooling off, So this car must have been built concurrently with the Crosley. Was it purchased as a test-bed for the Crosley engine by another manufacturer? Siata, perhaps?
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on July 08, 2009, 03:36:49 AM
...Was it purchased as a test-bed ....
..sort of...
Not Siata.
The rights to build the engine were bought by a company in Ohio, that was going to build them as boat engine for the navy...
I don't want you to be mislead by this...
There was a company, who studied a sperimental car, and they took a Crosley to develop it...it was not about the Crosley engine, the car itself was the project.
Did Kaiser use it when developing the Henry J?
Not Kaiser...
Was it a mule for what later became the Nash Metropolitan?
It reminds me of the Ferguson 4-wheel drive prototype. Any connection?
Not Nash or Ferguson...the company involved was not in the automotive field.
ConvAirCar, perhaps?
Not a flying car...
Please clarify - was the company that was using this car as a mule entertaining the idea of entering the business of building cars?
Exactly, but since there were made some significant modifications, I can't exclude that they were just testing those ...changes.. for their car...
The Playboy was about that size, and didn't use a Crosley engine...
It will be of a greater help to find this changes....
Was the builder-to-be a US concern?
If it's Bobbi-Kar or Keller, I'll kick myself.
American it was (not sure if it is still alive....)...
EDIT: still active at least till 1993.
A known (probably) still alive company, absolutely not in the automotive field, developed this project car, derived from a Crosley, to test a new car, for a later production or just as an experiment. It is much easier if your attention goes to the ...spirit... of this car....
Somehow it seems to fit in the Allstate philosophy by the Sears company. But they chose for the Henry J...
Quote from: Paul Jaray on July 09, 2009, 09:05:31 AM
It will be of a greater help to find this changes....
Take a look at a regular Crosley, then to this car...see any differences?
The Crosley Farm-O-Road was later produced by Crofton, so was this car also made by Crofton?
OK, nobody want to follow my clues, that's fine... ;)
Not a Crofton.
Are those changes clearly recognizable on that pic? I already compared a regular Crosley and that mystery car, but couldn't find any significant difference..
The white car seems to have slightly bigger doors, but that could depend on the camera's angle.
mmmh, it also looks broader...
Quote from: Allemano on July 10, 2009, 02:14:43 PM
.... but couldn't find any significant difference.....
And were's the point in taking a regular Crosley and test it if the appareance is absolutely the same?
......the inner parts are different!
:thumbsup:
innovative engine concept?
Not so innovative...
Electromotor?
YES, that's it, an electric car.
...and that obscure company usually produced electric engines for non-automotive purpose and tested whether these would work for cars as well?
Not engine producer.
batteries?
Not batteries...
Electric products at all?
...indeed!
hmm... Radios?
...not an electric product of that kind....
I've asked before and you answered: "Indeed!" :eyebrow:
You didn't notic the enphasis... it was an INDEED!!
It's the most electrical product available....
oh sorry, my fault.. I've read "...not an electric product of any kind....! (http://www.mysmilie.de/midi-smileys/frech/1/0009.gif) (http://www.mysmilie.de/smilies/frech/)
electric cables? :scratch:
I hope I'm not misleading you...this big company, still alive in a different form, is not providing objects to the customers....
Okay, the penny has dropped... It's an electricity producer!
:thumbsup:
Westinghouse Electric?
Not that...
may I ask you whether the source to reveal the mystery is to find on the internet?
Yes, not the picture, but the story is available in at least 2 different sites.
I'm afraid I'm at my wit's end. :-[
In those days, many companies like that had a project like this...
Exactly that's my problem..
another try: Washington Water Power Company? At least I found it linked to an obscure electric Crosley project in 1957...
You've mentioned that the company had been supposably dissapeared in 1993. Did it went bust or was it a takeover by another company?
...
That's correct!
Even if all the sources talks about a Crosley Wagon...Here's the car, well done!
Alright! Found it in the very same source about the Westinghouse-Electric-Crosley-project, but some passages below..
Washington Water Power, founded in 1889, was renamed Avista in 1999. The company still exists, providing electricity in parts of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.