Crosley Hotshot: Micro Sports Car

An American sports car that probably few people are aware of was the 1950-vintage Crosley Hotshot (Wikipedia entry here).

The car was tiny, having a wheelbase of 85 inches (2160 mm). Its engine was a 44 cubic inch (724 cc) 26.5 horsepower straight four.  It performed well in competitions for cars with motors in the 750 cc class.  Hotshots were derived from Crosley sedans and station wagons that I wrote about here.

Below are some Hotshot images.


Gallery

Publicity photo of a Crosley Hotshot. The people provide a sense of its scale.

1949 Hotshot -- Mecum auction photo of the very first one off the assembly line. Its wheels are tiny, making the car seem more toy-like than it actually was.

Rear quarter view of a for sale 1949 Hotshot.  The car has no trunk lid, so the spare tire is mounted atop the trunk.

Front view.  This and the following images are Mecum photos of a 1949 Hotshot.  The air intake is below the bumper.

Overhead view.

Seen from the side, but from an unnaturally low angle.  However, this provides a sense of the styling.  If the car had a door, there could be a clean profile from front to rear.