1952 Crosley Farm-O-Road
The Farm-O-Road was made by Crosley, a company that most of us know for their equally-cute little cars, pickups, sports cars, station wagons, and of course their radios. The Farm-O-Road was made in 1950, 1951, and 1952 and they were somewhat similar to the Crofton Bug, the Crofton Bug was actually based on the Crosley and those vehicles came out in 1958, several years after the Crosley F-O-R was gone. Powel Crosley Jr. had already made a fortune in the auto parts business by the time he ventured into radios and broadcasting in 1925. His first car came out in 1939 and they were gone by the end of 1952.
And now for something completely different...a 1952 Crosley Farm-O-Road early "gator" style of vehicle. This Farm-O-Road took its cues from the Jeep and the wartime Pup. It has a boxy, minimalist body with everything you absolutely needed but nothing you didn't. An AACA National 1st place winner in 1986 and the same ownership for over 35 years speaks volumes for this mini SUV. Consignor states this is the first 1950 Farm-O-Road produced based upon the FR101 serial number tag, however, this vehicle is titled as a 1952 using the engine number.
Exterior
Small but mighty could best describe this pre "Gator" vehicle. This example comes to us as an older restoration, bathed in green and made of simple straight steel fashioned to emulate the looks of the ubiquitous Jeep. Much smaller scale though but still using the curved hood, side flanking rounded integrated fenders and vertical oval grille. This example is a full open bodied, very Jeepesque and with seating for 4. Cream painted 12-inch wheels with chrome Crosley moon capped centers are on all 4 corners and showing some rusting and age. 12" rubber adorns the wheels and are showing age with cracking and dry rot. Black bumpers, which are a single straight piece of steel, are on front and rear.
Interior
Wide open to the fresh air we see 2 low back buckets covered nicely in tan vinyl and a bench is in the rear with matching upholstery. These are fronted by a fabricated metal dash and triangular support emanating from the dash to hold the tall steering column and wheel. In the center is the utilitarian dash with dual round gauges, the one on the left being a cluster and the right the speedometer. Green painted metal flooring coves all surfaces and is very clean. A shout out to the fold down windshield to make your drive even more "airy".
Drivetrain
A lift of the mini hood reveals an all buttoned up and fully restored gasoline engine. This sums up as a 44ci 26.5hp cast-iron overhead cam four-cylinder. This was a tiny, but very potent and surprisingly durable engine. It had a very long production life that surpassed Crosley by decades. The engine is backed up by a three-speed Warner T-92 transmission with a high and low range box mounted behind. The reduction in the range box was 4:1 and combined with the 5.38 axle gears in the narrow Spicer 23, the crawl ratio was 70.0:1. The Farm-O-Road had a mechanical traction aid in the form of brake lever that operated as a parking brake on both wheels but could also be operated on each rear wheel individually. This engine bay can best be described as pristine!
Undercarriage
No runs drips or errors and even no rust under here as it has been meticulously restored. Leaf spring suspension, and drum brakes are noted on all 4's.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
