Savoy Automobile Museum, Cartersville (Georgia), USA
Until May 4, 2025
The Savoy Automobile Museum has prepared a varied program of exhibitions for 2025, continuing its exploration of the world of automobile. When we think of American cars after the WWII, we think mainly of big cars, prominent fins, big V8 engines and Muscle cars. But gasoline restrictions during the war and just after, as well as the need for housewives to get around easily in the new housing suburbs that were springing up, opened up an opportunity for small cars.
Although little known today, 2 brands in particular, American Bantam and Crosley, were able to respond to this challenge of compactness and fuel efficiency. Austin’s American subsidiary had tried to break into the American market, but despite a few famous buyers like Ernest Hemingway, success was not forthcoming. Roy Evans resurrected the company in 1937 and renamed it American Bantam. Despite some interesting models, car production came to a halt in 1941. It’s a little-known fact that American Bantam developed and built the initial Jeep model. But in the end, Willys Overland and Ford, with a more powerful engine and much greater production capacity, won the mass-production contracts by exploiting American Bantam’s designs, the latter contenting itself with producing Jeep trailers. It’s also worth noting that the 1938 American Bantam inspired the design of Donald’s car!
Powell Crosley, for his part, had made his fortune selling low-cost radios and household equipment, and decided to enter the car-building business in 1939 with compact, fuel-efficient models. But after the war, the U.S. economy quickly recovered, and consumers wanted modern cars that were bigger, more powerful and packed with options. Crosley ceased production in 1952. The Savoy Automobile Museum has brought together some of these productions in its Small American Cars exhibition.
In Europe, the development of minimalist cars mainly concerned city cars designed to meet immediate mobility needs. In the USA, on the other hand, these cars come in a wide range of body styles, including coupes, roadsters, station wagons, pickups and even off-roaders. Engine power ranges from 20 to 27 hp, but a measured weight and a length varying from 120 in. to less than 150 in. (except for the tiny “Farm-O-Road”) ensure “reasonable” performance. Half a dozen cars are on display, pending the imminent arrival of a 1938 American Bantam Coupé.
The curvaceous 1939 American Bantam Model 60 station wagon is perhaps the smallest “Woodie” ever produced. The American Bantam Riviera cabriolet, a luxury 4-seater, was built in only 130 units. Proof of its originality, this car was invited to the highly select Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2003. It was also the last model presented by American Bantam.
The Crosley CC Pickup presented in 1947 offered a modernized look, while other manufacturers such as Ford were still producing their pre-war models. The 1950 Crosley Super Hot Shot Roadster is a far cry from a utility vehicle. This little 137 in. roadster reached speeds of up to 120 km/h. The Super Hot Shot was derived from its little brother the Hot Shot, which entered motorsport history for winning the Sam Collier Memorial Grand Prix (Sebring, Florida) in 1950. This was the first internationally sanctioned road race in America, and the Crosley Hot Shot beat Ferraris, Cad-Allards, Jaguars and Aston Martins. For the sake of completeness, it should be said that for this 1st edition, the winner was determined according to a complex performance index formula that favored a small, efficient car over much more powerful machines!
The design of the 1951 Crosley 2-door station wagon is more modern, and the car is practical, but no longer meets consumer demand, especially as the constraint of city centers with narrow streets didn’t exist in the USA. Let’s end this review with the highly original Crosley Farm-O-Road, launched in 1950. The car was presented as a mini-Jeep (90 in. long), highly versatile and designed for farmers. Its twin rear wheels gave it all-terrain capabilities. It could be fitted with a number of agricultural accessories, including a plough, harrow, mower, seed row guide and post-hole digger.
The Crosley Farm-O-Road was equipped with a 6-speed forward, 2-speed reverse gearbox, cruise control and hand throttle… With a small engine of just 26 hp, it was the ideal machine to replace both a car and a tractor. Around 600 units were produced until Crosley Motors closed in 1952.
The photos on this page belong to the Savoy Automobile Museum, no right of reproduction without the express permission of the museum.