Eric Minoff
Vice President, Head of Department - US
LOT 85 ¤
1948 Crosley Series CC Bread Van Custom Chassis no. CC40307
Sold for US$17,920 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 85¤
1948 Crosley Series CC Bread Van Custom
1948 Crosley Series CC Bread Van Custom
Chassis no. CC40307
Chassis no. CC40307
44.2ci Single Overhead Camshaft Inline Four-Cylinder
Single Carter W-O Downdraft Carburetor
26.5bhp at 5,400rpm
Three-Speed Manual Transmission
Live Axles with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs
Four-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes
* Smaller custom version of a DIVCO delivery van
* Ingeniously engineered
* Nostalgic graphics originally created by Peanuts creator Charles Schultz
* Restored to attractive and functional condition
THE VAN OFFERED
Just after World War II Powel Crosley, Jr. took advantage of the postwar sellers' car market to build and successfully sell his enduring idea for a small, simple, economical automobile.
The 1947 Crosley utilized an innovative single overhead camshaft four-cylinder water cooled utility engine developed during the war to power generators, pumps and light mechanical equipment. The engine was called the COBRA and used a cylinder block water jacketed in COpper BRAzed sheet metal. Light weight but powerful, the little engine made 26.5 horsepower at 5,400 rpm. The Crosley looked odd (a lot like a shoebox on wheels) but in a 1,300 pound 80-inch wheelbase vehicle it had remarkable performance for its displacement.
The COBRA assembled sheet metal water jacket, however, proved to be corrosion prone and in early 1949 Crosley replaced it with the cast iron CIBA four. Crosley offered the new engine as a replacement for earlier COBRA fours, an offer that was widely accepted.
This Crosley CC Weber Bread truck is based on a 1948 Crosley CC Station Wagon. It has been updated to the CIBA engine. There were five of these built as promotions for the Weber Bread Company in Los Angeles. They were used in parades, notably the annual Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena on New Years Day, and at events where they gave out miniature loaves of Weber's Bread in their signature gingham wrappers.
The construction is somewhat ingenious in the way in which it was built to resemble a DIVCO delivery van. The engine is in its original position, but the boxy design leaves no room for a front-mounted radiator and fan. Instead the original builder put the radiator behind the driver with a shrouded electric fan behind it drawing air through the radiator and ducting it down through the floor.
The body is made of lightweight composite panels roughly ¼ inch thick and were replaced during restoration. The original panels were drawn by Peanuts artist Charles Schultz and signed by him. They were recreated on the new panels by local artist Lowri McGill.
Now cosmetically restored, this Weber Bread truck is charming and nostalgic – even to those who never heard of Weber's Bread but appreciate the Peanuts graphics and branding.
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