A Polish WWII Refugee and a Canadian Crosley

Ed’s note: I met Roman this summer at Wauseon and was immediately fascinated by his family’s Canadian Crosley story. This is a follow up to that initial meeting.

Roman’s family’s surviving Green ’47 CC Crosley convertible

with a beautiful, new top (2005)

Roman, first, tell me a bit about yourself.

I am a retired family doctor who also did some rural, sports, and occupational medicine.  I did an undergraduate degree in physical education and was a former wrestler, judoka, and discus and shot thrower. I learned some mechanical skills from my multi-skilled father and from working in and running a boat business as a young man. I am married to Linda, who very kindly lets me use the garage to keep the Crosley -  for over 25 years!  We have two grown sons who like the Crosley but can't really drive it.

Roman’s father, Richard, with his three sons, Roman, Jack, and Christophe enjoying the spacious Crosley convertible (1960).

Tell me about how your father got his first Crosley.

My father, Richard Preobrazenski, managed to escape from Poland with my mom in 1947 and made their way to a refugee camp in Germany. While there, he would see newsreels and Crosleys would frequently appear in them. He just loved the look of the car, practical, efficient looking - very European. He was a motorcyclist and had a number of cars back in Poland and this Crosley just appealed to his European sensibility. After seeing the Crosleys, my dad said, “I am going to get one of these when I get to Amereeka!”. He avoided being sent back east from the British Sector and was resettled to Canada in 1948. At the time in Canada, refugees had to learn enough English and were assigned work farms, factories, etc. until they could pass the English proficiency test which he easily did within the required year.

Not surprisingly, the first car he got in Canada (in 1949) was a Crosley, a used 1946 sedan. My dad was a tinkerer, so Crosleys were not a problem for him. He would drive the cars with enough tools in the back seat to make the necessary repairs. In Canada, he settled in using his Crosley running his drafting, carpentry, and other businesses. In fact, he frequently would carry up to 4 co-workers, sometimes 30 miles, crammed into his Crosley to worksites. On weekends, they would even go camping and, on some occasions, with four adults, two infants and camping gear all packed into the little Crosley!  In 1956, he expanded and bought a Dodge station wagon for his business work, and my mother got his Crosley convertible.

Roman and his younger brother, Jack, with the

Crosley in their driveway (1964).

Did he get more Crosleys?

All of my dad’s Crosleys, (three total), he acquired before 1956. His second Crosley was a coupe that was unfortunately broad-sided. During the accident, the car did a 420 degree flip, landing on its side. My dad and his passenger had no seat belts, of course, and yet in spite of the seriousness of the crash, there were no injuries! The windshield was gone…certainly, and the car was considerably damaged. However, my dad and his friend exited the car, tipped it back onto 4 wheels, started the engine, and drove it home! There were no windshield windows, nevertheless, my dad recalled that the vacuum wipers were stuck on and still going as the almost-demolished coupe limped home.

How did your dad keep his cars running?

He sourced parts and made parts. He had a wealth of old Crosley parts that I still have in my shed.  He was a multi-talented entrepreneur in Poland - an ultimate problem-solver. He would fix motorcycles, race them, rebuild cars, buy and sell industrial engines, was a musician, sportsman, cyclist, sailor, and even amateur astronomer. 

Did he keep his Crosleys?

When my dad purchased his Dodge station wagon in 1956, the Crosley became our second car. Mom got it and used it to take us to school, run errands, etc. My dad would keep the Crosley running and sometimes my mom would help my dad fix the car. I even recall that she would help him do some of the bodywork! (See photo.)

Roman’s Mom sanding tne Crosley fender (1958).

After my mom’s untimely death from cancer (1963) the Crosley was used less and less and eventually ended up in the garage. The Crosley ended up being sold to an acquaintance of my father in 1972, and he repaired and restored it to running condition (and painted it purple!) In fact, the car was placed for a while at the Canadian Automotive Museum in Oshawa, Ontario (home of a large GM factory). As this gentleman was moving back to Scotland and the Museum was changing locations, he offered it back to us, and we gladly bought it back in 1982.

Gilles, my brother-in-law, and I rebuilt it and put in a roll bar, seat belts to make it safer and repainted it the original green color.

Roman and his dad, Richard, at Yorkville Car Show, Toronto (1995)

In the long-run, you still have one of the original 3 Crosleys, correct?

As I mentioned, we ended up rebuilding the Crosley convertible and storing it in my own garage along with a VW Thing for several years. Unfortunately, my wife had to park her car outside for a while. Eventually, I ended up selling the Thing and kept the Crosley convertible, my mom’s original car.

What was your immediate family’s reaction to the Crosley?

They loved the car. They rode in it a lot. Unfortunately, although my adult children like the Crosley and surely appreciate its family history, no one can drive a standard/manual transmission (yet).

How do you keep it running today?

I can do some basic maintenance, but my brother-in-law, Gilles, is the real mechanic. We recently changed the bearings, and minimized some leaks. The car is insured, and we drive it, and we do all the maintenance work. Like all Crosley owners, I have a box of essential extra parts for repairs as needed.

Any stories that you remember about these Crosleys from your youth?
I do recall that we lived near a hill where, on some Toronto mornings, we would push the Crosley over to the hill and let it go down for a clutch start especially in the depths of some of our cold, hard winters.

So, with your long-term Crosley experience, what is it about the car?

In general, a Crosley is the least expensive and manageable “classic” car you could own. They are reasonably available, perfect entry level automobiles, and generally cheap. It is such an interesting phenomenon. Wherever I go with my Crosley, I get noticed. People, especially kids, just smile. It is like a big toy car. People don’t know what it is. It slows down traffic. People are just intrigued by it. It is really an American story.

A final Crosley Tribute

When my dad was 78!!, the family paid for him to take an “around-the-world trip”. As a part of his trip was to visit a life-long friend from the German Refugee Camp, Jurek, who was living in Australia. My dad, also loving cycling, so, he bought a folding bicycle in addition to luggage for this around-the-world jaunt. 

Adventurous, he also carried a tent, eating supplies, and other “self-sustaining” equipment. He traveled to LA, Hawaii, Tahiti, and, of course, Australia with his folding bike and camping gear all while he was in his late 70s!!… (He died at 91.) As a family, we recently planned a special tribute. We buried his well-travelled folding bike at sea in Lake Ontario.  However, more fittingly, the anchors to tie things down to the lake-bed were old Crosley Parts, a flywheel and a Crosley crankshaft. 

“I can still picture my dad’s smile when he reminisced about his Crosleys.”

Roman P.

Two classics (maybe 3): Roman’s mom, Olenka, Roman’s dad, Richard, with their ’47 coupe (1951).