America's tiniest postwar sports car punched well above its weight: a Crosley Hotshot won the Sam Collier Memorial endurance race outright and took the index-of-performance award at the first Six Hours of Sebring in 1950.
Lead trim: Hotshot 44 cu in CIBA straight-four (26.5 hp)
Crosley HotshotVC · 1949–1952
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Crosley Hotshot yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactAmerica's tiniest postwar sports car punched well above its weight: a Crosley Hotshot won the Sam Collier Memorial endurance race outright and took the index-of-performance award at the first Six Hours of Sebring in 1950.
Crosley introduced the doorless Hotshot roadster in 1949, a little sports car with a new dropped frame and, for the first time, an 85 in wheelbase (5 in more than earlier Crosleys), disc brakes on all four wheels and the engine behind the front axle for a front mid-engined layout. The 137 in long, 1,095 lb Hotshot (991 lb stripped for racing) cost $849 and, with a 44 cu in (724 cc) 26.5 hp CIBA engine, was capable of more than 80 mph; a Super version was added in 1950 with solid hinged doors and a fold-down top, renamed Super Sports for 1951 and 1952. A Hotshot won the Sam Collier Memorial Endurance Grand Prix (averaging 52 mph) and the index of performance at the 1950 Six Hours of Sebring, and Crosley engines dominated 750 cc racing in the 1950s (10 of 12 SCCA west-coast races). Width 51 in.
Collectors Spotted in the Crosley Hotshot Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Crosley Hotshot yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotshot 44 cu in CIBA straight-four (26.5 hp) | 1949–1952 | 0.7 L Inline-4 | 26.5 hp | — | — | RWD | manual | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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