# One of the failed post-war cars **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [February 15, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537 "2020-02-15T14:23:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537/1 "2020-02-15T14:23:52Z")
… failed for a very good reason, I think. Front wheel drive, with the engine placed in the rear? Yikes! This 1947 Gregory never made it past the prototype stage. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/2/7/270eeb26a98f3eb6bd748fa7e95559187d1f9078.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537/2 "2020-02-15T14:56:26Z")
And the chassis layout indicates there’s a radiator at the air cooled engine. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2020, 3:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537/3 "2020-02-15T15:13:29Z")
Was Crosley the only compact car of the 40s that actually saw some marketing success? > **[Crosley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosley)** > > Crosley was a small, independent American manufacturer of subcompact cars, bordering on microcars. At first called the Crosley Corporation and later Crosley Motors Incorporated, the Cincinnati, Ohio, firm was active from 1939 to 1952, interrupted by World War II production. Their station wagons were the most popular model, but also offered were sedans, pickups, convertibles, a sports car, and even a tiny jeep-like vehicle. For export, the cars were badged Crosmobile. > Crosley introduced several "... ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2020, 3:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537/4 "2020-02-15T15:19:59Z")
Wasn’t the Henry J from that era also a compact? ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537/5 "2020-02-15T15:40:43Z")
> [@Renegade](#): > > Wasn’t the Henry J from that era also a compact? Yes, but the Henry J wasn’t brought to the marketplace until 1951, and it was thoroughly conventional. Think of the Henry J as an early inspiration for the Ford Maverick. ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2020, 3:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537/6 "2020-02-15T15:45:37Z")
Thank you I wasn’t sure when they came out also not sure when the Maverick came out I had one in the early 80’s it was a decent car. ---
**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2020, 7:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537/7 "2020-02-15T19:53:02Z")
The Playboy was a postwar two seater built at a former Chevy plant in Tonawanda NY. it was definitely not a sports car, just a tiny convertible. They got about 50 prototypes make before the inevitable bankruptcy. Another failed car right after the war was the Muntz Jet ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2020, 9:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537/8 "2020-02-15T21:33:03Z")
> [@oldtimer-11](#): > > The Playboy was a postwar two seater built at a former Chevy plant in Tonawanda NY. it was definitely not a sports car, just a tiny convertible. They got about 50 prototypes make before the inevitable bankruptcy. And, I was the one who posted a link to a Playboy automobile-centric website about 1 1/2 years ago! 😉 > [@The Playboy automobile](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-playboy-automobile/125609): > > No, not the Jordan Playboy of the 1920s! I am referring to the little Playboy car that was built in Buffalo, NY in the late '40s. In a sense, the guys who designed and tried to market this car were visionaries, because they foresaw a burgeoning need in some families for a second car, mostly for around-town hops. Unfortunately, the car was not successful, but since they built 99 of them, I guess one could say that they were twice as successful as Tucker was. 👍 ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537/9 "2020-02-16T02:38:57Z")
Kind of reminds me a bit nose first of the first SAABs although this one is black. The first SAABs were only offered in one color; OD Green. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2020, 3:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537/10 "2020-02-16T03:52:03Z")
speaking of the term “Playboy” . . . I think Hugh Hefner probably ruined that term, as many people will think of the magazine, not the cars I always hated him, his personality and pretty much all he stood for I suppose the playboy jazz festivals probably had good music, but I never went to one ---
**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 3:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537/11 "2020-02-17T03:49:50Z")
Quite a few playboys stayed in the Buffalo area, they are a common sight at car shows here. They had 5 at a car show at the Historical Society here. All the ones I have seen were slightly different, even the engines. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 1:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537/12 "2020-02-17T13:17:12Z")
> [@oldtimer-11](#): > > All the ones I have seen were slightly different, even the engines. Yup! During their brief production run, a switch from one supplier to another took place. I’m not sure if they went from Continental engines to Hercules engines–or vice-versa–but the engines do vary from one sample to another. ---
**Author:** ![wentwest](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wentwest/32/6073_2.png) [@wentwest](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wentwest)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 4:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/one-of-the-failed-post-war-cars/158537/13 "2020-02-17T16:55:47Z")
After both WWI and WWII a lot of manufacturing tried to switch to consumer products. There were quite a few cars produced in the early 20’s and late 40’s and 50’s that failed. Think of all the mini cars from Europe and Japan and the entire Kaiser-Frazier line in the US after WWII.