CROSLEY KILBY MIDGET CAR

[administrator]

On 21 Dec 2010, at 12:59, Ema wrote:

i would like to give you many thanks for your wonderful forum-
I found there much useful infos.-
I had recently acquired a UK midget race car, which has the word CROSLEY on the hubcaps
and is ALL original with original paint -
It has a bike engine, inside, with one cylinder.
Here a quick photo, i would be happy to find some history of the car and maybe the maker.
Also some racing history or where to find it would be useful or where to start-
Engine turns but never tried to run it-
Regards
Emanuel
midget 715,jpg

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[haflinger121]

Well now, this is an odd-ball one! Are you sure this is a UK car, Emanuel? Because Crosley was a 1930's - 1950's US auto manufacturer, and that looks to me like where the wheels and hub caps came from. Maybe even other components too. Some Crosley's used quarter eliptic leaf springs and that could be what's on the #17 car. However, Crosley never made a single cylinder engine that I can see. A lot of other weird stuff, yes! These included a quite successful four cylinder motor with a brazed sheet metal block.

Despite their staid image as economical runabouts, Crosley did have competition connections, and their later engines were successful 750 formula powerplants.

I could be way off beam, but the sign-writing on this car doesn't look very 'British' and I have no clue where or when this car could ever have run here.

There is a Yahoo Crosley discussion group, funnily enough, based on the US West Coast. Some enquiries there might bear fruit, you never know. Go to: autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/West_Coast_Crosleys/

Have a look here for some US midgets built out of Crosley components: www.vintagetqmidgets.com/

[haflinger121]

Where it came from...

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[rodpashley]

Have a look at this.
www.dezercollection.com/1948-crosley-midget-race-car-vintage-midget-race-carw-trailer-c-412.htm

[derek]

I have never read or seen anything about this car in the UK,
but you never know.
Just a wild guess, perhaps the car is of Scandanavian origin,
immediatly after the war there was a lot of midget car activity
in Sweden and Denmark.

[stockcar54]

This car is of US origin & was manufactured around 1948 by the King Midget Company in Athens Ohio. If you put "Crosley King Midget Car" into Google there's lots of info on the various models of kit cars they produced.

This one sold for £xxxx at auction.


Edited: The price has been removed at buyer's request. - admin, Midget Car Panorama.

[borchi1]

Wooow i am pleased how many "help" and opinions i have received!

Yes, i have bought them at an auction, because i think it's a good display in the garage i will built in the near future for all of my cars.

It was pretty original with a wonderful "patina" on all the car, that still "smells" burnt oil of the 50s--!!

Here i have attached other quick photos, they are dark as my camera went down as soon as i turn it on so i used my Iphone which has not flash-

I have tried to look on google on for "Crosley King Midget" in Athens Ohio but i have found only a strange kit car which is not a midget as this one.

If you have a direct link, i would be very happy.

I am trying to find out some history and races of the car, with some photos to put on the wall if possible.

I will post also the questions in other forums as suggested-

Again, many thanks-

If any picture is needed for an help, i will try my best-

[haflinger121]

Trevor, I found a lot of stuff about King Midget Cars too when I first went looking and they certainly built a roadster back in the early days, but I can't find anything anywhere about the type represented by this #17 car. The wheels however, look like they could have come from just about any Crosley model. This website here: oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Crosley/ seems to have about the most comprehensive list and photos of many of the Crosleys ever made.

I think the jury is still out - especially given the type of wheels on the car - whether this is really a competition car or just something made (maybe by King Midget) to look like one and then painted accordingly.

To further confuse the issue, Crosley engines were highly regarded for competition use, despite the somewhat stuffy image of the donor vehicles - bit like Reliant engines in the UK. For that reason, many serious race cars did use Crosley motors, but they never seem to look like the Kilby and don't use road going Crosley wheels and tyres either.

[stockcar54]

Graham, my thinking behind this was that it may have been bought as the kit car but then customised to a convential midget style & called the "Kilby Special", perhaps the customiser was called Kilby? Here is a different angle of the above car

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[borchi1]

I have sent photos to admin so he can put it on this thread as i am unable to do it.

Here a few more details:

- chain trans
-side handle (right side) to fire the engine
-front brakes only cable operated by the external long handle outside the car
with a lot of patina (seems had been used a lot)

Also please focus this car has front and back chrome protection, so a race use is a right thought in my opinion as if i build a car i don't so particular bumpers (found only in the competition midgets i had seen in photos)

questions still go on.. hope to have the pictures updated soon..

[administrator]

img_1033.JPG
Posted as requested by member Borchi1 aka Emanuel.

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[administrator]

Posted as requested by member Borchi1 aka Emanuel.

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[administrator]

Posted as requested by member Borchi11 aka Emanuel.

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[administrator]

Posted as requested by member Borchi1 aka Emanuel.

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[administrator]

Posted as requested by member Borchi1 ala Emanuel.

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