Powell Crosley was a fascinating individual. He was Cincinnati's version of Henry Ford. He built affordable radios for the masses, bought a radio station so people who bought his radios would have something to listen to, bought the Cincinnati Reds so he had something to air on his radio station, and built cars just because he wanted to.
At the risk of sounding like James May, the Crosley's engine is fascinating. Instead of taking a lump of cast iron and drilling holes in it, the Crosley's engine was a series of pieces and tubes of stamped steel which were assembled in a jig and then put into a big oven - and when they were hot enough to melt brazing rod, the engine would be "soldered" together. It was therefore cheap to make and very light - and 55hp Crosley engines were built into one of the first 4-stroke outboard motors (the Bearcat) on the market. They were the answer for people who liked fishing, because they'd idle along trolling all day, whereas 2-strokes of the day would foul their plugs after ~an hour of this. You're welcome... 😉
@@bigsyrup8567most of us have jobs, watching videos like this and making comments are what we do after work to keep ourselves sane and make our lives less mundane.
I met James May some years ago at an event, and he's exactly the same as on GT. I had a book for him to sign and he took one look at his hairstyle on the front cover and said "Christ, look at the barnet!"
He was always interesting the thing is we grew up to understand it now... Back then we used to be too young and could relate more to Jeremy's and Richard's antics
He maintains the boyish/ girlish enthusiasm around “what did I see, “how does that work”… that makes cooking and travel programmes equally interesting.. in the uk that makes him a modern-day JamescBurke OR Raymond Baxter imho
@@TheWPhilosopher Today's cars are smaller than they were in the 70's. Look at the Cadillacs and Lincolns, they were nearly 20 feet long cars. And that was during the Malaise era, when you had a big 7.5, 7.7 or 8.2-liter V8 engine that was making less than 200 hp.
@@TheWPhilosopher A vehicle being taller doesn't take up more space on the ground, and it doesn't make the car harder to park it actually makes it easier. And it's not only length, but width as well.
@@user-bv8wr3vw4x that wasn't your original point. You said bigger full stop. Not on the ground. Yeah cars have got fatter over the years. Look at a clio from 90s and one today. Fatter today.
I just finished watching S04E06 of Top Gear where Clarkson and Hammond were doing a bit about cars the UK doesn't get. The Chevrolet SSR came up and Hammond said he really liked it and would actually drive one, only not in purple. Seems he's a man of his word.
What's funny is that no self-respecting American pick-up truck driver would go near that thing. I've never seen one on the road in my whole life, maybe only when they had just come out.
@@theskycavedin I had a two-foot long toy one as a kid and thought it was the coolest car design ever. I never saw a real one until a couple years ago, seeing it on the road amongst normal cars really made me realize how stupid it looks.
Possibly one of James's worst choices! What a great series this was though! How many times can you pick up a Crossley and secrete it inside an unlikely building?! Brilliant stuff, thank-you guys. You've still got it. When you finally stop, a piece of me will stop with you....😢
When i saw this car i said to myself "oh come on if your going to choose an obvious plant bad car to destroy least you can do is not make it so obvious!" Only to find out no james may genuinely thought "yes THIS is the car ill do a 1200 mile roadtrip in!"
@@aaronwestley3239 Regardless, it's the same tired shit...James gets the piece of shite. And that stupid stunt where James crashed...what idiot thought that was a good idea?
James has a tendency to chose the wrong car (or the produces do). I remember the Aston Race car he chose for the Top Gear "Searching for Driving Heaven" segment in season 10. He choose an actual race car with no A/C and no roll down windows for a trip across the South of France in the summer. The pain he felt during that trip with the race car's rock hard suspension, loud brakes, cabin heat, etc. could be at the same level of pain driving this Crosley for such a long trip.
Crosley had a large impact on the City of Cincinnati Ohio. He rescued the Cincinnati Reds the first American Pro Baseball Team from going bankrupt during the great depression. There is still The Practice Field named after this Wonderful Man. After WW2 He built modern appliances such as the refrigerator for the soldiers at a moderate price,to reestablish their lives. And that will go for His cars as well. But, Americans wanted the Land Yachts to drive as Their Families grew. So needless to say, Crosley will still be in hearts of the People of Cincinnati Ohio.
Watching all of the small bits and pieces of the grand tour are hillarious. Including this, funny pranks and everything about screams have a laugh and smile till your cheeks are sore
The Crosley looks like a stamped tin childs toy from the 40s. In 1958 when I was 5 and in kindergarten there was a Crosley bread van (that's my memory), no wheels, no interior, no doors sitting on its frame in the play yard of the KG. Painted red with a bucket and a brush. 😂
You could buy a Crosley through the Sears catalogue too, along with their own car, The Allstate (a Henry J), and a selection of houses you could order and build yourself. They were introduced at the 1939 New York Worlds Fair.
the crosley engine was actually designed in california by taylor motors and was specifically meant to be an apu for military aircraft, so it needed to be very lightweight. after the war crosley bought the rights and the tooling from taylor and modified it into a car engine. it's unique in that the cylinder head and block are a single piece with no head gaskets to leak or blow.
00:40 you can tell that joking aside for cameras, Jeremy is actually interested in the story behind this car. Imagine doing the job he has for so long and coming across a car you've never seen before.
I like the Crosley. I have no idea what kind of stereotypical pimpmobile Clarkson showed up in. And Hammond got a Chevy SSR pickup truck because he's an Ameriboo.
It was brilliant but also really annoying what with James missing everything. If I were James I'd absolutely straight away re-do the entire roadtrip with a better car and look at every single attraction/museum I missed out on and eat at every single restaurant I missed out on. All the better if I can drag the other two along with me.
my dad bought a Crosley 1967 the guy he got it from for 25$ used it for a golf cart, dad sold it 45 min later for 25$ and kep the wheels for a boat trailer. the person he sold it to drove one every day for 20 or 30 years that I know of.
I thought 18.5k Pounds for the SSR was absurd, then I Googled some prices and yea for a 03-04 SSR yellow was like $21k-$22k USD which with the exchange rate is basically the same thing. James I couldn't believe though!
I love how all 3 of them respect the " I was drunk when I did it" excuse.
Because all 3 of them were in that situation many times. They feel it.
lol you believe that then!! it's all scripted mate
@@bobtudbury8505 WHAAAT NO WAAAAY HOLY SHIIIT. Dude they fucking made an episode where they did it unscripted no fucking shit
I ended up with a case of pop tarts and 5lbs of Bit O Honey bites after late night binge shopping. It's a legit excuse.
James is a part owner of a pub
Three racists sods and heavy drinkers
James became a completely different version of himself in this special 😂
How so?
The Crosley was too slow even for Captain Slow
@@xavierm-t7554he crashes
I think May was the star of this episode!
No. It was a typical showcase of May being May 😂
Powell Crosley was a fascinating individual. He was Cincinnati's version of Henry Ford. He built affordable radios for the masses, bought a radio station so people who bought his radios would have something to listen to, bought the Cincinnati Reds so he had something to air on his radio station, and built cars just because he wanted to.
wow he was the Elon Musk of his time! 😂😂
@@guguigugu That's not a compliment.
@@Green__Ghost well not in personality, kinda...
And, as May said, he also invented shelves for refrigerators (the Crosley Shelvador). And he patented it. .
"He was Cincinnati's version of Henry Ford" did he help the n@zis too? thats not a compliment tbh
At the risk of sounding like James May, the Crosley's engine is fascinating. Instead of taking a lump of cast iron and drilling holes in it, the Crosley's engine was a series of pieces and tubes of stamped steel which were assembled in a jig and then put into a big oven - and when they were hot enough to melt brazing rod, the engine would be "soldered" together. It was therefore cheap to make and very light - and 55hp Crosley engines were built into one of the first 4-stroke outboard motors (the Bearcat) on the market. They were the answer for people who liked fishing, because they'd idle along trolling all day, whereas 2-strokes of the day would foul their plugs after ~an hour of this. You're welcome... 😉
You're right that is interesting
Thank you for the info
Get a job.
Found James Mays Pseudo account!
@@bigsyrup8567most of us have jobs, watching videos like this and making comments are what we do after work to keep ourselves sane and make our lives less mundane.
I love James May. As he ages he has become such a cool an interesting person. This version of James is my favorite!
I met James May some years ago at an event, and he's exactly the same as on GT. I had a book for him to sign and he took one look at his hairstyle on the front cover and said "Christ, look at the barnet!"
He was always interesting the thing is we grew up to understand it now... Back then we used to be too young and could relate more to Jeremy's and Richard's antics
He maintains the boyish/ girlish enthusiasm around “what did I see, “how does that work”… that makes cooking and travel programmes equally interesting.. in the uk that makes him a modern-day JamescBurke OR Raymond Baxter imho
“Speed hump on a runway”
0:58 He said that in the 40's. Imagine what his reaction would've been, if he lived long enough to see the american cars from the 70's.
70s? What about today?!
@@TheWPhilosopher Today's cars are smaller than they were in the 70's. Look at the Cadillacs and Lincolns, they were nearly 20 feet long cars. And that was during the Malaise era, when you had a big 7.5, 7.7 or 8.2-liter V8 engine that was making less than 200 hp.
@@user-bv8wr3vw4x Length but overall square feet with 4x4s, hummers etc?!!
@@TheWPhilosopher A vehicle being taller doesn't take up more space on the ground, and it doesn't make the car harder to park it actually makes it easier. And it's not only length, but width as well.
@@user-bv8wr3vw4x that wasn't your original point. You said bigger full stop. Not on the ground. Yeah cars have got fatter over the years. Look at a clio from 90s and one today. Fatter today.
No Special is complete without Richard bringing a big car, Jeremy bringing a fast one and James being James brings a small and slow car
Was Jeremys fast ?
@@animaltvi9515 compared to the crosley, yes
A Gee Wizz is, compared to the Crosley
@@animaltvi9515 It probably was, before all that crap was put on top of it by Mitsuoka.
Its base was a Nissan Silvia, 2.0 turbo, ~250hp. Probably the single most popular drift car all over the world.
1:37 the way Jeremy says ‘motor’
7 liter V8 "modur" 🤣
1:02 absolutely love the Hamster's classic face of slight worry when James starts off with a story...like "where are you going with this mate?"
"What is the modur?" haha
I just finished watching S04E06 of Top Gear where Clarkson and Hammond were doing a bit about cars the UK doesn't get. The Chevrolet SSR came up and Hammond said he really liked it and would actually drive one, only not in purple. Seems he's a man of his word.
What's funny is that no self-respecting American pick-up truck driver would go near that thing. I've never seen one on the road in my whole life, maybe only when they had just come out.
@@theskycavedin I had a two-foot long toy one as a kid and thought it was the coolest car design ever. I never saw a real one until a couple years ago, seeing it on the road amongst normal cars really made me realize how stupid it looks.
@@theskycavedin They are marginally more popular in Canada, it's not an everyday occurrence seeing one, but it's hardly once in a blue moon either
@theskycavedin9592 there's a guy with one in my area and you barely aver see it
I was, drunk.... 😂😂 .. These guys shows why men never grow up
“How far away is he?” 😂
"I Bought it when i was drunk" should be on a shirt as its so relatable!
You can always trust James to be excited and talk at great length about something so abstract and completely bizarre to the rest of the world lol!
Funniest bit with this POS was when James used it as ambulance, and you saw how slowly it goes to the accident site
The even weirder thing about the Crosley is the engine is actually made of stamped steel instead of cast metal.
the early ones, yes. the later ones do have cast iron blocks.
Not since the “Man With A Van” challenge has the trio’s car selections been so emblematic of their own personalities 😂
Possibly one of James's worst choices! What a great series this was though! How many times can you pick up a Crossley and secrete it inside an unlikely building?! Brilliant stuff, thank-you guys. You've still got it. When you finally stop, a piece of me will stop with you....😢
When i saw this car i said to myself "oh come on if your going to choose an obvious plant bad car to destroy least you can do is not make it so obvious!"
Only to find out no james may genuinely thought "yes THIS is the car ill do a 1200 mile roadtrip in!"
Actually he didn't.
He admitted it in a drive tribe video.
James being James
@@charlesharper2357 Which drivetribe video was that in?
@@charlesharper2357 he doesn't need to admit it. If you watch the whole thing he didn't actually completed the whole of it in it.
@@aaronwestley3239
Regardless, it's the same tired shit...James gets the piece of shite.
And that stupid stunt where James crashed...what idiot thought that was a good idea?
James has a tendency to chose the wrong car (or the produces do). I remember the Aston Race car he chose for the Top Gear "Searching for Driving Heaven" segment in season 10. He choose an actual race car with no A/C and no roll down windows for a trip across the South of France in the summer. The pain he felt during that trip with the race car's rock hard suspension, loud brakes, cabin heat, etc. could be at the same level of pain driving this Crosley for such a long trip.
So does during Romanian trip. He chose Gallardo Spyder with lower ground clearance and without Eastern European navigation
As someone from Cincinnati (where Crosleys were built and sold before and for a few years after WWII), I take pride in this special.
Lets just enjoy these 3 are still around with their humor! The last episode was a banger!
"Made his fortune in domestic appliances " is that why James' car looks, sounds and goes as fast as a washing machine ?
Yup
This has been the best one in a long time. Welcome back boys,we all need you!
You know it’s bad when Jeremy has no clue what car it is
if hammond was in it it would be a huge car!
Crosley had a large impact on the City of Cincinnati Ohio. He rescued the Cincinnati Reds the first American Pro Baseball Team from going bankrupt during the great depression. There is still The Practice Field named after this Wonderful Man. After WW2 He built modern appliances such as the refrigerator for the soldiers at a moderate price,to reestablish their lives. And that will go for His cars as well. But, Americans wanted the Land Yachts to drive as Their Families grew. So needless to say, Crosley will still be in hearts of the People of Cincinnati Ohio.
750cc and 26hp from a 70+ year ild car is fairly impressive
They came out with America’s first post war sports car in 1949 called The Hot Shot. It would go 75 in stock form and 90 with some aftermarket mods.
1:36 the way Clarkson says “motor” kills me 😂
Modor
@@lyh0619 More like "mowdur"
Watching all of the small bits and pieces of the grand tour are hillarious. Including this, funny pranks and everything about screams have a laugh and smile till your cheeks are sore
The Crosley looks like a stamped tin childs toy from the 40s. In 1958 when I was 5 and in kindergarten there was a Crosley bread van (that's my memory), no wheels, no interior, no doors sitting on its frame in the play yard of the KG. Painted red with a bucket and a brush. 😂
You could buy a Crosley through the Sears catalogue too, along with their own car, The Allstate (a Henry J), and a selection of houses you could order and build yourself.
They were introduced at the 1939 New York Worlds Fair.
"It has to go through the door of a shop." Hammond and Clarkson took that as an order
Turns out someone had made a car with a moustache before
The Crosley with some horsepower would be a lot of fun.
"I bought it when I was drunk"...a reply most of us can associate with in our lives.
I don't know why, but I'm surprised that the Crossley was an American car considering it looks like something from out of post war Europe than the US.
What an absolute beauty
I haven't watched it yet, but I can foresee a LOT of James shouting CLARKSON in the mornings
I loved this show. It was genuine English humor.
"What is the MOTOR?"
the crosley engine was actually designed in california by taylor motors and was specifically meant to be an apu for military aircraft, so it needed to be very lightweight. after the war crosley bought the rights and the tooling from taylor and modified it into a car engine. it's unique in that the cylinder head and block are a single piece with no head gaskets to leak or blow.
what a brilliant story , love the little car , what a tooty !
Clarkson unexpectedly turning American @ 1:36
May- I bought it when I was drunk.😅😅😅🤣🤣🤣
And there you have it, the inspiration for the 1950s Standard Vanguard was a Crosley!
I atually love the idea of just walking into a shop and buying a car like a washing machine for small urban travels, very good idea
00:40 you can tell that joking aside for cameras, Jeremy is actually interested in the story behind this car. Imagine doing the job he has for so long and coming across a car you've never seen before.
Speedbump on a runway 😂😂
3:00 Gonna have to steal James May's quote on uselessness. Brilliant way to put it.
May again in German
"Das ist ein Hotrod" 🤣😂✌🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Thats a Hotrod
"I have produced larger and more attractive bogeys than this" spot on 😂
Love this!
I bought it when I was drunk you have to respect that honesty
When we free to enjoy, and laugh at the silliness of it all.
The little thing came good eventually 😂
Crosley was a Cincinnati company, so there’s one of these cars on display at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
Should have brought a crosley fridge. Probably would have been faster.
huiophhjggh
1:36 demon takes control.
I am happy to see he saved the Crosley
I like the Crosley. I have no idea what kind of stereotypical pimpmobile Clarkson showed up in. And Hammond got a Chevy SSR pickup truck because he's an Ameriboo.
I love how Jezza says "Mow'drr".
2:56 Hammond: It was £18,500. 2:58 May: What? Me: WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE ISLAND OF SODOR?!
Son unos genios , saludos desde ARGENTINA BAHÍA BLANCA 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Hammond's laugh at 2:30 😂
The Crosley looks so dignified with its mustache-grille
there are many things one should never do when drunk and browsing a car auction site is definitely one of them.
I love how Jeremy says “motor”
Yes absolutely! Exactly my point! LMFAO
It was brilliant but also really annoying what with James missing everything. If I were James I'd absolutely straight away re-do the entire roadtrip with a better car and look at every single attraction/museum I missed out on and eat at every single restaurant I missed out on. All the better if I can drag the other two along with me.
James May - "I bought it when I was drunk"
Explains everything... please continue...
my dad bought a Crosley 1967 the guy he got it from for 25$ used it for a golf cart, dad sold it 45 min later for 25$ and kep the wheels for a boat trailer. the person he sold it to drove one every day for 20 or 30 years that I know of.
How big is Clarkson's "moder"?
Credit where it’s due. The Crosley is a very interesting car…
But I wouldn’t want to do a 1,400 mile road trip in it.
There are still radios and phonographs produced under the Crosley name to this day.
“I bought when I was drunk.”
James Car would have been a great DriveTribe project car...
2:10, looks like it rained for a while during the shoot. The underneath of the Crossly is now dry.
hgggyyy
''Who pays 11.5k for a 30 year old nissan in a bad frock?'' lots of people actually
Bloody James. I wish that beauty had stayed in Finland. But hey, the highest bid is usually made by someone who is drunk ;) (I wasn't drunk enough)
Rodney Carrington’s vehicle has entered The Grand Tour.
I thought 18.5k Pounds for the SSR was absurd, then I Googled some prices and yea for a 03-04 SSR yellow was like $21k-$22k USD which with the exchange rate is basically the same thing. James I couldn't believe though!
For this whole episode i waited for james to swap the engine to some sort of 250cc motorbike engine
BBC ... You did the biggest Mistake for loosing those 3 Gentlemen.... What a sham 💔
James' Crosley is kind of like the Apple Newton. Way ahead of it's time, but limited by the technology of day.
The Motor
Clarkson turns his acting skills up to 11 @3:09, and it's shocking
"I bought it when I was drunk"
Geeze guys you could have help James put his roof on, its ok to help a mate!!
Heck yeah! Thumbs-up for Tiddes & Beer!! 🥚🥚 🍺
People hate on the Chevy SSr but I think there neat...
At the end I thought “Titties & Beer” was going straight into the drink
“I bought it when I was drunk,” I related to that statement. Been there, done that. 😂😂
^^ 11000 £ that went up a lot from 400 £ XD 😉🥳
1:37 Didn’t you catch the way Jeremy pronounced “motor”?😂 it’s like the old days
7 litre V8 mow’dor!
That car is just like James May, strange!
The Green ship in the background is owned by Arklow Shipping,Ireland. I'll leave now !
The car looks like a fridge...
Edit: ok the guy who made it was a fridge maker 😂
Clicked for the Crosley