1949 Crosley Hotshot Roadster

Successful entrepreneur Powel Crosley, Jr., of Cincinnati, Ohio, owner of a broadcasting corporation bearing his name and the Cincinnati Reds baseball team, set out to build a sub-compact car with the assistance of his younger brother, engineer Lewis Crosley. Their first car - a two-door convertible that weighed under 1,000-pounds (454 kg) and sold for just $250 – debuted at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1939. 1941 saw the range expand to include two- and four-passenger convertibles, a convertible sedan, a station wagon, a panel truck, and a pickup, among other variations. World War II brought Crosley buyers thanks to gasoline rationing and the nearly 50 miles per gallon the Crosley could achieve, helping to keep the company afloat. Many innovations characterized Crosley's post-war years, including the first use of the term Sport Utility, the first mass-market single overhead camshaft engine and first American car to be fitted with four-wheel disc brakes. The Hotshot sports model was introduced in 1949 and became the basis for countless Crosley-powered road racing specials. Such was the competition potential of the model that a Hotshot won outright in the 1950 Sebring Six Hours – an event that continues to this day as the Sebring 12 Hours.