Hunter Mischler, A New Crosley Restorer and Driver

The following is an interview was conducted on October 4, 2025 with 15-year old Hunter Mischler, from Vincennes, Indiana. This was the day before his first run at the Newport Hill Climb!.

Hunter, tell me about the Crosley that you will be racing in the Newport Hill Climb tomorrow.

My Crosley is a 1951 Super Sports. We bought it in 2022. It was a California car with no rust, very clean. We bought it from Gerald Davenport from Paducah, KY who told us about the car’s history.

When you first got the car, what condition was it in?

The body was in good condition. No rust – probably because it came from California originally. The brakes were locked up. The seats were gone. The body had a very old lacquer paint job, and it had been in a barn for 15-20 years. We thought during its lifetime, it was used as a road course race car because there were spacers on the front wheels and stablizers in the rear.

When we bought the car, I wanted to get working on it right away, but I had to wait for my dad to finish his project on our lift. Once his car was off the lift, we pushed mine on it, and I immediately removed the tires, so we couldn’t move it and had to work on it! I In reality, I only had to wait about a month to get on the lift….but it seemed like a real long time.

Did you get help working on it?

My dad helped. He was like the “instructional manual”. Once we disassembled the car, it sat about 2 years. We went to Wauseon and bought a new frame that my dad sand blasted for us. My friend, Carson (Arnold), and I painted the new(er) frame before doing anything else.

Then, Carson sandblasted every part - brakes, drums, axels, and drive shaft while the car was disassembled. Once he was done, we painted the parts and I reassembled most the of underbody as a rolling chassis. Then, we could just set the body on top. Once the body was in place, my dad wet sanded it and repainted it.

Tell me about your family’s history with Crosleys

My grandfather’s (PW Mischler) family had a Crosley Dealership in Vincennes. My grandfather also drove a Crosley. He said he drove his yellow Hot Shot from Vincennes, Indiana to all the way to Clovis, New Mexico where his family had moved when he was only 13. My dad continued with our family’s Crosley interests. As far as I can remember, we have always had Crosleys. I know right now my dad has 4 Hot Shots, a CC wagon, an SUV, a Sedan and Farm-O-Road.

How do you feel about your first Newport Hill Climb Run Happening Tomorrow?

Well, I’m a little nervous, a bit “out of my comfort zone”…thinking I might brake something…I am afraid I may only have 3rd gear going up that pretty big hill. In the past, I have ridden up the hill with my dad several times. During my run, I plan to take off slowly, ease into it, and then hammer it… put it on the floor!!”

I understand you just got your driving permit In November.

“Yeah, plus, I told my friends at school I would be making this hill run. I keep thinking,

I’m just driving up a hill. As long as I get into second gear, I’ll be fine.”

What was your reaction to this Crosley restoration project?

“When we started putting it together, it was sort of like a “happy feeling”. It was great seeing it come together.”

What advice would you give to other young folks starting a Crosley project?

“It’s a lot more fun than it looks. It may seem boring at first, but over time, I realized it’s not that boring. Once the car is put together and you drive it - that feeling that you built it is exhilarating …It’s like when your parents say, “Try new things. Try new foods.” You may end up liking them. When you try something new, you may end up finding things… something you really like. I found the process was really cool and fascinating.