Crosley engines don’t get much love in the world of modern racing, but the miniscule engine not only powered Crosley’s cars in the 1950s, it was also a favorite among SCCA racers in the miniscule, home-built H-Mod class cars during the ‘50s. Those racers hopped up the 750 cubic-centimeter four-cylinder, which had originally been designed to run a small generator on Navy ships during World War 2, and depending on what you read, they were able to double the output from its stock 20-25 horsepower. However, one modern Crosley fan built an alcohol-injected Crosley that sounds a lot meaner than generator should.
We’re pretty sure this is the same engine that went into the “High Times” slingshot dragster that was up for sale a couple years ago in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The seller at that time claimed to have run 17.1 seconts at 72 mph, which actually isn’t too bad for a 44 cubic-inch engine. The ad also claimed that the engine had 14:1 pistons and a steel crank; it certainly sounds healthy.
If this is indeed the High Times engine on the dyno, here is a video of it making a pass down the strip at Byron Dragway in Byron, Illinois. It certainly doesn’t look like it’s setting the world on fire a quarter-mile at the time, but this is some quality oddball equipment gone completely wild.
Looks like a British sports car motor.
In 1/2 scale.
Who does the spell check for bang shift?