History

The Shannon Crosley Special was designed and built by Floyd Shannon in 1955. Small diameter tubing was used to build the frame similar to the European race cars of the time. The engine, rear axle and some drive components came from the Crosley passenger car. The Crosley engine was a popular choice to suit the H modified classification as it was built sturdy with 5 main bearings and an overhead camshaft allowing it to rotate up to 9000 RPM if tuned properly. The lack of HP due to the small displacement is offset by the low gearing (5:18 to one differential ratio) combined with a car that only weighs 840 pounds, allowing the car to accelerate surprisingly fast.

The car was successfully raced by Floyd at various venues in California including Riverside Raceway when it opened in 1957. Floyd later sold the car to Ms. Pat Copland who had a 4 speed Topolino transmission installed which improved the performance. She also enjoyed success until a racing accident at Riverside caused enough damage to sideline the car. After about 40 years, Lee Osborn purchased what remained of the original car. He restored the chassis and made a new body from the surviving body molds.

From 2003 to 2025, Lee raced it in vintage racing, including being invited 14 times to the Rolex Monterey Historic Races often finishing first in class.