1949 Crosely HotShot Microcar Frame Off Restored by Ted DellaCamera in 2015

Description

Up for Auction with Reasonable Reserve is a

1949 Crosley HotShot

This car was fully restored by Ted DellaCamera, owner of Yankee Crosley, it was completed in June 2015.

No part of this car was untouched.

The car was purchased herein Maryland by me at auction in 2012 at the Timonium Fair Grounds as a project for my children and me.

At this auction I met the President of the Crosley Club, Dave Anspach, who happens to also be a great guy. Dave was kind enough to welcome us into the Crosley Club and put us on the path to restoration.

The car was last titled in 1964, as a 1950,and was a true barn find. The car was solid and did not have much rust. Once we brought the car home and started disassembly we noticed that the red paint was not the original color and was a repaint over a previous repaint done when the car was almost new.

Under the red wasa yellow paint job andlogos from the Squirt Soda Company. We believe the car to once be a promotional or contest award from that company but cannot find any evidence or proof of this. The factory and current color of this car is a pale green andthe seats are, as they were in allHotShots,bright red vinyl which was also matched.

We were able to get the engine to run quickly but after reaching out to Dave Anspach, we made the decision to turn the car over for a complete restoration by Ted DellaCamera of Yankee Crosley. Ted is the guru of Crosley cars and he is the world's foremost proprietor of Crosley parts. Also one of the nicest and most sincere people you would ever have the opportunity to meet.

Ted agreed to take on my project and we embarked on a frame off restoration.

Over the next two years Ted painstakingly disassembled and photographed progress. I made trips up to Connecticut to check on how she was coming. The car was very original and much of what was uncovered is being used as reference for other Crosley restorations.

The car is very close to original specifications with liberties being taken with radial tires and modern turn signal stalk for indicators. Both of these are easily changed.

Metal was used for the rust repairs, which were limited to the sills. Most Crosley cars were well undercoated at the factory.

The radio is original and does not work. I never got around to fixing it and you really cannot hear it over 15 miles per hour.

The paint is single stage and correct to the vintage and is perfect color match to the original. If I had it to do over I might have gone base/clear but I wanted to keep it as close to how it rolled off the line in 1949 as possible.

All chrome was redone, interior is all new as is the windshield and weather stripping.

Top and curtains were done by Fixitall in Hamburg, PA who has supplied tops to a number of Crosley concourse winners.

The factory flimsy side doorswere restored andare included.

The car itself runs and drives great. Starts easily and revs exceptionally well. This is not the COBRA engine but the almost indestructible cast iron 750ccSOHC that is known to rev to 10,000 rpms.

The engine and 3 speed non-syncho transmission are original to the car (need to learn to double-clutch if you don't know how)

Brakes were rebuilt and are 4 wheel discs, the first in an American production car.

If you do not know about the HotShot, it was a really a marvel of the time with great race history. The engines were used for years in midget racers due to the ability to extract lots of reliable power out of them.

A similar car to mine won Sebring in 1950 and almost won LeMans in 1951 reportedly angering Enzo Ferrari. Back then the races were based on index of performance and not outright speed.

On a side note, the Crosley folk are some of the nicest and most down to earth people that you will ever meet. They are fully dedicated owners and work to keep the history of this quirky little car alive. The exchange of information and support is the best I have ever encountered in the collector car hobby.

I am available anytime to discuss the car and Ted DellaCamera has offered to make himself available should there be something that I cannot answer.

Thanks for looking!