The 1954-1955 Kaiser Manhattan featured a supercharged six-cylinder engine allowing it to produce 140 horsepower. (Ad complements former Kaiser Motor Company)
The Kaiser Traveler, introduced in 1949, featured a first ever “hatchback” design as the back seats folded down, the rear window flipped up, the spare tire was under the floor boards and up to 10-feet of cargo space was available. (Ad complements former Kaiser Motor Company).
Q: Hi Greg, I enjoy reading about your experiences with cars from the 1950s and 1960s, and am writing about the Kaiser Manhattan, which is a car my father owned back in 1953. Can you tell me about the final year of 1954, when Kaiser finally shut their doors to car manufacturing? I remember that my dad said it was an excellent car. Thanks much in advance if you use my letter, Charles L., retired at age 79 and not very computer literate in Massachusetts.
A: Charles, I’d be happy to comment and thanks for your handwritten letter, which I do not have the space to print in its entirety.
I’ve written of the fortunes and demise of the Kaiser and Frazer automobiles in past columns, and feel as your father did that it was an excellent automobile, especially from 1951 to 1954. Actually, to be politically correct, the final year of the Kaiser was 1955, when the models were a carry-over from ’54 and they shut down the assembly line in Willow Grove, Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Notable to me were two full-size models, the first the unique Kaiser Traveler, also marketed as a Frazer Vagabond. I christened the Traveler in a past column as the first true hatchback, which offered a huge cargo area and wooden strips to help the cargo move in and out. The spare tire was hidden under the floorboard of the trunk, opening up even more room for cargo. The Traveler appeared in 1949, and became a popular choice of consumers. Notable was the rear window also flipped upward, allowing for larger cargo (see attachment). This is the car I once mentioned that I assisted its owner loading groceries, as my grandfather, Martin Sulewski, owned an economy and food store in the small town of Ranshaw, Pa. from the 1930s through the 1960s.
The second Kaiser full-size model of note was the final year 1954-1955 Manhattan, which featured the line’s first ever McCulloch supercharged engine. This addition upped the horsepower to 140, but by then sales were low and the company abruptly stopped building cars.
Also notable was the company’s “sub-compact” Henry-J, which appeared in 1951 as an economically priced small car with a 68 horsepower four cylinder for power. It was not the greatest looking vehicle on the road, but sold near 85,000 units the first year at $1,363 full retail. A Deluxe version with an 80-horsepower six cylinder is included in these numbers.
The Henry-J lasted until 1954 when just 1,012 units were sold as Chevy, Ford and Plymouth were offering bigger and better cars for just a bit more. Notable was an effort by Sears & Roebuck in 1952 where it offered a re-badged Henry-J called an Allstate, complete with Sears & Roebuck/Allstate tires, batteries, and other company trim. Although I do remember the Allstate, I was too young in 1952 to be attracted at Sears to nothing other than the large wooden barrel Hires Root Beer stand at mid-store along with the great grilled hot dogs. As for the Kaiser Darrin, it’s in a class by itself as one of the country’s true two-seater sports cars.
Although Henry J. Kaiser eventually failed in the car business following a disagreement with partner Joseph Frazer over V8 engines (thus the similar Frazer line of cars from 1964 to 1951), his philanthropic ways and noted ship building during the WWII years led to the first ever “managed care” health insurance program for his workers. Today, under the name Kaiser Permanente, it’s the nation’s biggest and most successful managed health care organization in the country.
Kaiser died in 1967, but his legacy continues on. As for me, I’d love to add a Kaiser to my small collection of vehicles and if one comes around at a fair price, I just might do it.
Thanks Charles for your great letter, and continued good health to you.
(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes reader questions and comments on collector cars and old-time racing at 303 Roosevelt St., Sayre, Pa. 18840 or emails at greg@gregzyla.com)
