Crosley Special (1953) - Harry Eyerly

Harry Eyerly started out racing hydroplane speed boats but in the 1950’s, he decided to take up sports car racing. At the time, the SCCA was sanctioning a number of classes on the West Coast designed to allow competitors to race against each other on an affordable budget. Eyerly decided to build a car to race in H Class.

Eyerly’s racing car was entirely home built. The keys to his success were attention to detail, simplicity, and keeping the weight low.

The tiny 736cc motor was taken from a speed boat. He used high compression pistons and a carburetor from a motorcycle. The gearbox was from a Jowett Jupiter. The running gear and brakes were from a stock Crosley. The car was suspended with leaf springs. Eyerly built a ladder style frame with 2 3/8-inch tubes designed to give the car a 78-inch wheel base.

If a component was too heavy, Eyerly drilled holes in it. When the car was completed, it weighed 1000 lbs. Eyerly was able to bring the weight down to 750 lbs through his ‘modifications’.

The tiny 48 cubic inch motor could rev up to 9000 RPM offering 27HP to the rear wheels. What the car lacked in straight line speed, it definitely made up for in cornering. The top speed was only 95 MPH but with the low weight and incredible handling, Eyerly never really had to slow the car down in the corners.

In competition, the car easily beat the faster and more powerful Porsche’s and MG’s that were also in H Class. The car was AKA the ‘Porsche Duster’. Eyerly raced the car to wins in H Class wins in 1953 and 1954. He continued to modify the car over the years and raced it into the early 1960’s.