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Crossley Cars in the 1930s



Crossley Cars in the 1930s

A strange diversion - the Streamline

A real oddball was the Crossley Rear Engined Streamline based on Burney patents of which 25 were made in 1934. One of Burney's ideas was that heavy items should be carried at each end of the car. The engine at the rear accounted for one end and, unlike the original Burney, the radiator and battery compensated at the front. The car used the Silver's 2 litre engine with Wilson preselector gearbox. It also retained Burney's idea of storing the spare wheel inside one of the rear doors which cannot have helped the structure. To assist the streamlining the rear track was 13 inches less than the front. The Motor testers got a maximum of 78mph and could have gone faster except for repair work at the Brooklands track. On the styling they commented "Whether or not the resulting appearance is pleasing to the eye is a matter of individual taste".

At least two examples survive, one, the prototype in private hands and the other in the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. It was a strange looking car and so unconventional that it must have been hard to sell. The 1934 price of £750 was reputed to be loss making so the 1935 price of £395 seems to be rather desperate.

More here:
Crossley Streamline Data

Drive shaft
Rear engined. Drive via Cardan Shafts.

What's a Cardan shaft?

Is that like a CV joint?