Crane Simplex

What do you want to know? I have worked on it. I know they owner who sold it in 2014. It’s a fantastic car. Low miles. It makes my White look small. Dandy Dave was the last guy to put it together. Back around 2000 it was a nice running and sorted car. I would own it in a heartbeat. It came out of the collection just over the border we were talking a but a few weeks ago. Buy it........

Rode in one 15 years ago; the owner swore it would run 85 miles an hour. But it was an old restoration and I bought my Locomobile instead.

jrbartlettOct 13, 2020

Rode in one 15 years ago; the owner swore it would run 85 miles an hour. But it was an old restoration and I bought my Locomobile instead.

Locomobile 48 seems like a pretty good comp.  

Austin Clark owned the Simplex Automobile Company ( he liked the cars so much he researched to see - in the early 1950s- what the status of the name and right to build the Simplex cars would be, found it and bought the rights/company)  When someone would say they owned  a Simplex Crane he would always then add "Crane model 5 ", as I guess that's what they were. He liked the Crane ( model 5 !) but most people only want to know about the big chain drive earlier Simplex cars. Magnificent automobiles. I had a lapel pin for one 40 years ago or so and gave it to Austin for his birthday one year, we would exchange small gifts like that in friendship. Since I am a fanatic about coach builders and coach work Austin gave me a lapel pin for Brewster & Co. that was in fact a factory admittance pin for a worker ( who had scratched his name into the back of it so it could be returned if the guy lost it) that is in the shape of the Brewster car radiator. Pretty cool .

I wore that pin  while walking around the Hershey flea market many decades ago and my friend Fred Roe saw it and told me  - "please put that in your pocket or wallet or someplace so it doesn't get lost by accident , you're making me nervous " Fred and I were active in the Society of Automotive Historians together and the local SAH group , the Pioneer Chapter - who used to have meetings at my house here on long island. Yes, I followed Fred's request and still have the pin, am looking at it now.

Walt

I also have a Brewster & Co. pin..........great piece!

This Simplex Crane Model 5 speedster was parked in the Chocolate Field Hershey 2019:

That speedster at Hershey was here in Deer Park on long island for decades - was a complete car but had fallen through the floor of the garage it was stored in ( in non collectable car era) and the body was destroyed. Eventually I believe the car was bought by the Dragones and a proper period style body fitted/created. What you see here is a great example of what can be achieved with a complete proper chassis/drive train to get a car back on the road again.

If you can’t have fun with that Crane......something is wrong with you.

I'e tried but failed to read the phone number on the windshield. If anyone knows who this is, please send me an email. Thanks.

I have looked extensively at the 4 person speedster car number 2046 that you posted at Hersey in 2019 also when it went through a previous Bonhams auction I believe in Monterey for a no sale. It is a very nicely done car. The seating position for the driver however is a bit tight in my opinion with a extremely vertical seat back. This however was the only thing that i did not like. the quality of the work done is quite high. the perportions are very nice front to rear. The low louverd frame covers are very sporty.  I know I spoke to the owner a few years ago I just need to rumage around to see if i can find the number for him. I own car number 2315 and they are a fantastic car to drive. I have had mine up to 76 miles an hour of the highway and still had a couple left in her. Braking however needs a long term plan. I have relined the driveline brake and the park brake shoes, had a the rad recored and repaired the carb. The next job is to remove the Janky electronic ignition and go back to full mag.

Lovely car.

Here is a Brewster-boded 1917 Crane-Simplex in the LeMay Museum in Tacoma.

Can’t say enough good things about a Crane Simplex.

Frank and Pauline Snook from Schodack Center, NY owned some wonderful Crane Simplex autos (the Seal's Cove 1917 was one of theirs). They were both very active in local club activities and there many pictures of Mrs. Snook driving this 1915 coupe throughout the 1950's.  Really unique car, anybody know where it ended up?

md murrayJan 2, 2021

Frank and Pauline Snook from Schodack Center, NY owned some wonderful Crane Simplex autos (the Seal's Cove 1917 was one of theirs). They were both very active in local club activities and there many pictures of Mrs. Snook driving this 1915 coupe throughout the 1950's.  Really unique car, anybody know where it ended up?

That is really cool.  Lets hope some idiot didn't turn it in to a speedster.

The first car I ever hauled on a trailer was the Crane Simplex from Seal Cove. Fantastic car.

edinmassJan 2, 2021

The first car I ever hauled on a trailer was the Crane Simplex from Seal Cove. Fantastic car.

Here it is with the Snooks in the 50's -from what I've read they drove the pants off all their cars.

The paint was still soft when I loaded it on the trailer. As I recall the interior wasn’t installed yet. Don’t remember where or why I hauled it. 

Just found these postings, I bought 2046 shortly after the 19 meet. Great to hear about other Simplex Crane cars. 

Check under the General Discussion area and the Period Images thread under that , I just posted a image of a Crane Simplex that was for sale in about 1928 by the RR Dealer in NY City. That dealer was located at 58th St. & 8th Avenue. They issued a folder of over a dozen cars that they had taken in on trade against a new RR and had in stock and wanted to sell.  That is the only mention of a Crane Simplex I have a photo of for sale " in the era" but have several sales folders like this that Packard was offering used cars for sale that were taken in on trade for new Packards in the mid 1930s. Just so many period images, information , from dealer and factory publications that has never been mentioned or discussed since the pre war era, not only here in the USA but in Europe .