1952 Crosley Almquist Sabre Roadster

This Crossley was converted into an Almquist Sabre racer in 1957 and vintage-raced on circle tracks in Monterey and Sonoma, Ohio until 2013. Almquist Engineering's glassfibre body kit was advertised in racing magazines and was designed to bolt to a Crosley chassis. This car has a period tube chassis and is powered by a 1939 Ford 'Flathead' V8-60 engine, over-bored to +0.030" and breathing via three Stromberg carburettors mounted atop a Ken Austin 3x2 intake manifold. Other notable features include Edelbrock aluminium racing pistons, a Clay Smith M3 cam, Johnson adjustable lifters, ground and lapped valves, pressure-tested and surfaced Offenhauser cylinder heads with ARP studs, rebuilt oil pump with modified oil relief spring, lightweight headers from a 1948 Midget, and tapered 1936 Ford driveshafts modified as side pipes. Cooling is looked after by a custom aluminium radiator with modern fan, an electric water pump, and custom piping to backwards-mounted Offenhauser water manifolds on each cylinder head. Electrics include a frame-mounted alternator and Mallory electronic ignition. An electric fuel pump and pressure regulator draw from a stock Crosley tank.

The four-speed manual gearbox was sourced from a Ford Mustang Cobra II and built with close ratios in the top three gears, while the stock flywheel is machined to approximately half its original weight. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a short balanced driveshaft and a narrowed Ford 8" open differential with a 3.0:1-ratio final drive.

The glassfibre bodywork is reportedly in good overall original condition for its age; however, there are various stress cracks and other marks to the paintwork. The engine bay is tidy. Exterior equipment includes a small windscreen for the driver, two rear-view mirrors, and working quad tail lights from a 1958 Chevrolet Impala. There is also a custom grille made from dovetailed aluminium stock and polished at its leading edges. A spare grille is supplied with the car with openings for headlights. Steel wheels are five-lug in the rear and retain the original Crosley four-lug pattern up front, all wearing Mooneye solid disc covers and shod with 13" Dunlop racing tires. A single roll hoop displays past inspection stickers and provides driver protection along with a reportedly current five-point harness. The custom aluminium dash panel features simple competition-style switchgear and a modern tachometer. A rectangular Crosley instrument cluster houses working temperature, oil pressure and fuel gauges, though the speedometer is not currently connected. Both doors are said to be operable.

Chassis and suspension work were reportedly carried out with help from Norm Rap and Jim Correia during previous ownership. Steering modifications include a rebuilt and reversed Corvair gearbox and a solid Heim-jointed drag link. The suspension features rear trailing arms, a Panhard rod, heavy-duty shock absorbers, re-arched leaf springs on relocated perches, new bushings, and adjustable Heim joints throughout. Bearings and seals have been freshened, as have the braking components, the latter including front discs from a Datsun B210. All recent racing was done by the previous owner, who reportedly saw speeds of up to 110mph on the front straight at Laguna Seca.

Pictures of the Crosley in recent vintage race magazines are included in the documentation together with original Almquist sales literature, period advertising and order forms, copies of photographs, various patches, service manual supplement for the Goodyear-Hawley hydraulic disc brakes, the car's Historic Motorsports Association log book, with entries from May 1, 2009 to August 18, 2013, two Vintage Motorsports catalogues for 2012 and 2013, and a copy of the 2007 Coronado Speed Fest catalogue and more. The car is road registered and comes with a V5C document. The seller has indicated the engine runs strong, cleanly and cool with good, even cylinder compression and good oil pressure when hot (35-40 psi idling). Work will be required to use the vehicle as the pedal box was removed to be relocated for driver comfort. A new race pedal box is supplied with the car.