Quick! Think of a four-door convertible vehicle. The first answer that most people think of is the 1961-67 Lincoln Continental convertible, or perhaps the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited if you are of a more modern bent. However, when I think of four-door convertibles, my go-to car of choice is the 1949-51 Frazer Manhattan Convertible.
I’ve been wanting to write about the Frazer Manhattan convertible for a while, but I’ve never seen one in the wild until I saw this rather incomplete example at the Ron Hackenberger auction last July. While not the best or most complete example, with only 131 units made, beggars can’t be choosers.
Before delving into the feature car, a quick primer on the Frazer brand is in order: Kaiser launched Frazer in 1946 (as a 1947 model) as an upmarket complement brand to the Kaiser line. It was more of a companion brand to Kaiser (akin to LaSalle and Cadillac) than a true standalone brand, as the vehicles were sold through the same dealer network and even sometimes advertised together, like in the ad above.
It was named after Joseph W. Frazer, then president and general manager of Kaiser-Frazer. Released several years before the Big 3 would release their first post-war cars, it was styled by Howard “Dutch” Darrin, and had modern styling touches like “straight through” fenders.
Initially, Frazer sales were strong, thanks to this two-year head start on getting new post-war cars to an eager market: 68,775 were sold in the 1947 model year, and 48,071 sold in 1948. However, in the face of new postwar models from the Big 3, Frazer sales plunged in 1949 to less than 25,000.
Henry Kaiser and Joseph Frazer differed in what direction to take the company: Kaiser wanted to avoid direct competition with the Big 3, and focus on inexpensive small cars. He would later go on to realize this vision in the 1950s, with cars such as the Henry J and Allstate. Frazer was more interested in going upmarket (or at least mid-market), as illustrated by the brand that bore his name.
In 1949, Kaiser-Frazer decided to expand its sedan and utility-sedan offerings with a convertible for both brands. Kaiser-Frazer had no two-door coupes in production at the time from which to create a traditional convertible, so the decision to base their convertible off a four-door sedan was more a result of pragmatism than a deep desire to resurrect the four-door convertible body style. K-F simply cut the roof off a four-door sedan, leaving much of the header intact (a new windshield was too expensive) and reinforced the frame and body as necessary. Money for this project was extremely tight, and production was anticipated to be low, so many parts were hand-made.
There was one additional design compromise as well, to further reduce costs and increase parts commonality with the non-convertible models. Both the window frames and center side glass pieces are fixed. To modern eyes, this gives the appearance of driving with the top down and the windows rolled up, even when that is not the case. It is a bit hard to capture in a photo or illustration (since glass is basically clear), but the above photo drives the point home quite nicely.
Thus these were actually more akin to a “convertible sedan,” like the first Rambler. Google image searches will reveal that some Manhattan Convertible owners (including presumably the previous owner of the featured car) have removed the window frames and fixed center glass for a cleaner look, essentially making it a permanent open car.
Despite the aforementioned cost-cutting, there was apparently enough money in the shrinking coffers to develop a hydraulically operated power top. The interior trim supposedly rivaled that of any Packard or Cadillac (although given the missing interior of the featured car, this is an article we’ll have to take on faith). Both the Kaiser and Frazer convertibles were pricey, at $3,195 and $3,295 respectively.
The work done in making the convertible allowed Kaiser to add back a new, somewhat lighter steel roof covered in nylon fabric, and thus create the first production four-door hardtop, the Virginian. It is somewhat debatable as to whether this is really a true hardtop, as the window frames and center glass were fixed, just like in the convertible, negating the possibility of the genuine hardtop experience. There was no Frazer version of the Virginian. It looks virtually identical to the convertible with its top up.
Given that it was essentially hand-built, convertible sales were a dud, with only 62 of the 1949 models sold. No doubt part of the poor sales performance of the soft top had to do with the odd side windows and the ambitious $3,295 price (About $45,000 in 2017). A significant aspect of the failure can also be laid at the doorstep of the 226 cu. in. L-head inline 6, whose 112 HP was no match for the 8 cylinder engines that were available from the competition.
Things didn’t fare much better for Joseph Frazer than they did for his eponymous car. In 1949, he was forced out as President and Chairman of the Board of Kaiser-Frazer. Henry J. Kaiser installed his oldest son, Edgar Kaiser, as the new leader of the company. Joseph Frazer’s influence was on the wane, as so was the car that bore his name.
1950 Frazer models were essentially unchanged from 1949. In fact, some 1950 models were actually 1949 production that got re-serialized as 1950 model year cars (which makes sales numbers for this model year tricky).
While the 1951 Kaiser sported a very handsome all-new body also designed by Dutch Darrin, the Frazer got nothing more than a restyle, with new sheet metal strategically deployed on the old body. Thus for 1951, there would only be a Frazer convertible: The new Kaiser body was never turned into a convertible, despite there now being a two-door coupe/sedan from which to make one.
Alas; the questionable restyle was mostly for naught, as Frazer sales for the 1951 model year totaled just over 10,000. The four-door convertible, buoyed by a price cut to $3,075, had its best sales year yet, with a whopping 131 units finding owners. 1951 would be the final year for Frazer (the car). Joseph Frazer (and his name) would leave the company in 1953, when Kaiser-Frazer would merge with Willys-Overland and be renamed Willys Motors.
The featured car ended up selling $7,500, which was a good deal for the seller, given the significant amount of missing (and likely impossible to find) interior and exterior bits, and the questionable condition of the powertrain. As a result, my guess is that it will make a better donor parts car than a restoration candidate. As for the buyer, well let’s hope things work out better for him than they did for Joseph Frazer.
Related Reading
Sales Lot Classic: 1953 Kaiser Dragon – A Problem Is Simply An Opportunity In Work Clothes
Prices for the convertible Kaiser-Fraser were nearly the same as those for a concurrent Cadillac and Packard, both of which had standard 8 cylinder engines.
Being a new brand to the automotive marketplace, with cars perceived as being comparable to Plymouth, Chevy, and Ford must have made it difficult to make inroads into a crowded postwar market.
And on top of being a new brand perceived as being comparable to Plymouth, Chevy, and Ford, another difficulty must’ve been Korean War restrictions on production, which were no doubt more easily managed by the Big Three. And immediately after that, Ford was determined to regain its place as the number one make, and started slashing prices, with GM following suit on Chevrolet’s.
It’s a wonder that the independents survived past 1958, much less through 1988. The Eisenhower recession and the subsequent demand for compacts no doubt keep the lights on for a few more years for Studebaker, and beyond that for AMC.
…another difficulty must’ve been Korean War restrictions on production, which were no doubt more easily managed by the Big Three.
Kaiser’s production problems started the day they turned the lights on in Willow Run. There were restrictions on steel availability all through the late 40s. Established car makers were allocated steel based on their pre-war steel consumption. As Kaiser had no pre-war track record, they had an especially difficult time getting their hands on steel. The irony is that Kaiser owned several steel mills, but the mills made steel plate that Kaiser used in ship building, not the rolled steel coils that cars are made from. Kaiser resorted to buying steel on the spot market and flying it in to Willow Run to keep the line going.
Then, to keep a lid on inflation, the government imposed restrictions on car financing, which crimped demand.
Kaiser had negotiated a deal to buy Olds 303 V8s, which fell through. The official story is that the deal was dependent on Olds being able to build additional production capacity so demand from Oldsmobile could be met with enough engines left over for Kaiser. When the Korean War broke out, restrictions were placed on acquisition of production equipment for civilian use, which prevented Olds increasing V8 production capacity.
When the Korean War ended, steel was finally off allocation, the government eased the financing restrictions and the pent up demand from WWII had been satisfied, so the stage was set for the Ford/Chevy price war.
By accounts I have read, the 51 Frazer had not been intended to be made at all. As you said, Joe Frazer had been pushed out of the company, reportedly for daring to disagree with Kaiser, so the Frazer brand was to be dropped.
As the new 51 Kaiser was nearing introduction, the company still had a very large inventory of 1950 model parts on hand. Rather than scrap this inventory, the 51 Frazer was created to use up the parts. The model proved quite popular and dealers ordered more, but when the parts inventory was exhausted, Kaiser ended production.
The plant at Willow Run where Kaisers and Frazers were built has been mostly torn down. The plant footprint, as well as the surrounding parking lots and access roads have been converted into a research and test center for autonomous vehicles.
http://www.acmwillowrun.org/
I knew about the Kaiser Vagabond and Traveller but you’ve taught me a new one with this. What a fascinating vehicle… They invest in a power top but can’t afford to tool a two-door body or fix up the window situation? Intriguing.
Great article; hadn’t known this car existed before today. That “Tuck her in next to you” ad is pretty creepy, though; looks like the couple is fleeing into the aftermath of a nuclear blast.
I’ve been wondering if the Henry J was originally meant to belong with the Frazer brand, until Joe got kicked out. The ’51 Frazer looks a lot like the Henry J, which also came out in ’51.
Maybe the untold story is similar to the Edsel/Comet story?
I’ve been wondering if the Henry J was originally meant to belong with the Frazer brand, until Joe got kicked out. The ’51 Frazer looks a lot like the Henry J, which also came out in ’51.
Kaiser was floated, and kept afloat, by a series of loans from the Reconstruction Finance Corp, a leftover of the 1930s government pump priming. When Kaiser went back for yet more money, the loan was made on the condition that Kaiser seek defense contracts (guaranteed profit) and build a compact car.
By the time the Henry J project was underway in 49, Joe Frazer had been shoved out the door.
Any similarity in design between the Henry J and the 51 Frazer, which was a last minute bodge job, would more likely be attributable to a concept someone in Kaiser styling was geeked on at the moment.
20/20 hindsight being what it is, the Henry J should’ve been a convertible. As it was, the stripped two-door sedan was launched right into the teeth of the Ford/Chevy price war.
I’d like to know how last-minute Nash’s decision was to launch the Rambler as a ragtop with hardtop and wagon models to follow, and no basic sedan until years later.
20/20 hindsight being what it is, the Henry J should’ve been a convertible.
Sources say the Henry J was to be positioned as a cheap, entry level car, according to the conditions of the loan from the RFC. Nash had a free hand to position the Rambler as a premium small car.
The Henry J came out in 50 and pretty much died in 53, before the price war really got going. At introduction, Kaiser had set up a second assembly line to build the J, but as sales withered, the second line was taken out and Js were mixed with the full size cars on one line.
Historical hindsight has pretty much shown that back in the early 50’s there was a market for a small sub-Chevrolet/Ford/Plymouth car. The problem was nobody knowing at the time how big that market actually was.
Nash got there first with the Rambler. They sweetened the pot by building a premium small car, and they succeeded. Second place was (I think – I’m working off of memory) Kaiser, who built a bare bones, cheap, penalty box. Then Hudson rolls in with the Jet, semi-premium, homely, and a flop. Then Willys returns to car building with the Jet.
By this point, the small car market is completely oversubscribed, and nobody can sell enough of their make to be profitable. And small cars pretty much vanished, for a year or two, until the VW started taking off.
In follow up to Syke’s point, there was another entrant just a bit larger than those compacts – the Studebaker Champion. It was narrower than cars from “Brand C, F and P” and lighter weight too. For just a little more money you got a little bigger car with a little more scoot from a well-respected brand with a long history of good cars.
From 1939 through 1949 the Champion was quite petite. The 47-49 model had a 112 inch wheelbase. It got a longer wheelbase in either 50 or 51 as Studebaker tried to simplify the number of body lengths, but it was never really a very big car.
I am convinced that the Champion (which was selling very, very well in 1949-51) sucked a lot of the oxygen out of the “compact market” which those smaller cars were trying to create.
… It got a longer wheelbase in either 50 or 51 as Studebaker tried to simplify the number of body lengths, but it was never really a very big car.
The only things small about the Champion by 50, when the big three had brought postwar designs to market, were the engine power and the interior room, two things the customer is sure to notice. The contemporary Plymouths were shorter than the Champion, but wider with more interior room and a bigger engine.
1950 Chevy: 197.5L, 73-15/16W, 216 OHV 6
1950 Ford: 196-11/16L, 72-13/16W, 226 L head
1950 Plymouth: 186.5L, 72.875W, 218 L head
1950 Champion: 197.25L, 69.875W, 170 L head.
Same thing with the next generation Studebaker:
1953 Chevy: 195.5L, 75W, 235 OHV
1953 Ford 197-13/16L, 74-5/16W, 215OHV
1953 Plymouth 189L, 73.375W, 218L head
1953 Champion 198L, 69.5W, 170 L head.
imho, If Studebaker refused to invest the money to build a new body plant that could accommodate a full sized body, and build a 6 powerful enough to push a full sized car around, they should have taken the Sawzall to the Champion in 53, instead of waiting until 59.
1956 interior dimensions table.
front leg room: Studebaker dead last
front hip room: Studebaker dead last
rear seat leg room: Studebaker dead last
rear seat hip room: Studebaker next to last
engine size, Studebaker dead last
horsepower: Studebaker dead last.
power to weight ratio: Studebaker next to last.
In the early to mid 50s, the Champion accounted for over half of Studebaker sales, but management let the car become uncompetitive.
“20/20 hindsight being what it is, the Henry J should’ve been a convertible.”
20/20 hindsight is a the Henry J shouldn’t have been built at all. Kaisers and Frazers were medium-priced cars running with a forklift engine the size found in the low-priced three, without the expected body style selection. K-F prototyped ohv V8 engines but diverted funding from those to the Henry J project along with the RFC loans because Henry Kaiser was so sure the public was dying for ‘another Model A” basic transportation vehicle. In a period of rising affluence, that was the last thing they were after. The ’51 Kaiser would have had a fighting chance in the market had it arrived with their own ohv V8. Engineers on that stalled K-F project landed at Nash/AMC, carrying features developed for the K-F V8 which arrived as the AMC 250ci in mid-1956 MY. Kaiser exited the American market the year before.
Lesson: Invest in your core products first.
There’s also a pretty significant styling resemblance to the Willys Aero, if not moreso than the Henry J.
I recall reading about these in SIA eons ago. I have never seen one of these in person and had believed that the frames around the window and that glass center pillar were fixed in place. The easily removable center “pillar” had been a fixture of prewar convertible sedans and those are frequently seen with all windows down and the pillar stowed. I suspect that removing that pillar is not as easy as you make it sound.
Like Steve said, I recall reading that the 51 Frazier had been fairly well received but that production ended when the supply of leftover bodies was gone. I always found the 51 a very nicely done restyle.
Also, wasn’t the merged company called Kaiser-Willys before becoming the Kaiser Jeep Corporation?
I suspect you are right about the center glass. In researching this article, I desperately searched for an owners manual or some other document illustrating the procedure for removing the center glass pieces, and came up blank.
But if I had to guess, I would say that it required hand tools of some sort, making it not just a spur of the moment thing to do.
At the very least, it could’ve been designed as a “pull up to remove” which would make the same piece fixed on the Virginian; thus it would’ve been structurally but not functionally a hardtop.
The window frames and glass center pillar are attached and stay in position, only the glass retracts, that’s why there are no photos with everything down except the pictured white Frazer which must be modified. Hope this particular Frazer has those rare parts, though they’re shared with the Virginian.
The convertible sedan and Virginian as well as the Traveler/Vagabond were added to freshen up a line that was already stale compared to the all-new 1949 models from everyone else. Both of the former, while interesting, were badly overpriced versus the competition. A separate body building operation was set up in Jackson, Michigan to hand-build the convertible sedan and Virginian and K-F lost their shirts on every one sold. The utility sedans were integrated into the regular production and proved quite popular.
Joseph Frazer came to regret this association with Henry Kaiser, realizing too late that the automaking operation was an experiment for him, not a serious effort to build a long-term market position. When Frazer refused to sign onto further debt for the massive overproduction Kaiser had planned for the 1949 MY, the split took place. The infamous “The Kaisers never retrench!” utterance is one of the ultimate voicing of clueless hubris. In Frazer’s place was set Edgar Kaiser, a man with the automotive industry inexperience on par with James Nance when he came to Packard. We know how both cases worked out.
And I remember reading that the ’51 Frazier was the best received year of the brand. Dealers really wanted more Fraziers when the supply of bodies ran out.
A classic instance of “can’t win for losing”.
The ’51 Frazer was probably the best received year because for the first time it looked significantly different from the Kaiser. Buyers could see they were getting a different car for their money.
Thanks for that obvious bit of info. I should have caught that too. I’ve updated the article to reflect that.
This was really more of a “convertible sedan” like the first Rambler than a convertible in the modern sense.
Curiously the “modern” Fiat 500c calls itself a convertible, when it’s obviously a convertible coupe like the old 500.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/curbside-outtake-1937-pontiac-deluxe-eight-convertible-sedan-americas-finest-low-priced-car/
Go back 15 years or so and you have this fine example…
I like the Kaiser, it’s got a ‘friendly puppy’ vibe about it… wouldn’t say no to one, anyway!
One of my many uncles owned a Kaiser or Fraser when I was very small. I can’t say for sure which make it was but do remember it was a brown sedan.
After that car my uncle became a lifelong Ford owner.
Four door convertible you say
I Khaaaan! see the appeal of that one.
Factory photo with both top and side window down:
An intriguing design. I didn’t know their 4-door convertible was due to economics – I thought it was to produce something ‘different’.
I’ve always thought the Henry J (and Allstate) was one of the homeliest designs ever produced by an auto manufacturer. I don’t even care for them in drag racing form
The following comes from Ate Up With Motor’s history of K-F. Edgar Kaiser told engineers John Widman and Ralph Isbrandt not to beef up the structure of the convertible to compensate for the loss of the roof. They had to build a prototype that way to show him that it wouldn’t work.
Like a lot of new cars, what the Kaiser promised during their planning stages and what they delivered, was in many ways, disappointing. Like GM’s Saturn division, by the time the production models showed up, the competition target moved onto something better, leaving them with a new, but no longer fresh, design.
Henry Kaiser threw millions into his car company. He had millions, but he didn’t have the ability to find the right people to make the start-up succeed. He got a sweetheart deal on Willow Run via his Federal government contacts, but he couldn’t get anything but the old Continental six cylinder. He got the guys from Graham and Hupmobile, but not the ones from Ford, GM or Chrysler. He got the right stylist, but although he had spent millions, Henry Kaiser said later that there was never enough millions to become established at the level of the Big Three.
His dealership distribution was forever a weak spot. Franchisees were hopeful, but often amateur. He lost major markets because his dealerships weren’t major in those markets. He had an expensive car being sold by dealerships more suitable for an inexpensive car.
By the time the Seller’s Market ended, Kaiser was out of cash, but had to restyle. Fraiser wanted out, his brand was dead, but Kaiser didn’t want to quit. He was recognized as one of the world’s greatest builders, and he didn’t want his car to soil that legacy by failing.
The dude never got a decent V8.
The Frazier I have seen is one of the last year’s. A very handsome dark green sedan with a massive chrome front end and cool little tail lights sitting on top of little round fins. The interior is amazing, and the dashboard was even more amazing. The dash looked like a piece of plastic laminate in Art Deco, with the coolest letterings. The heat had gotten to it, so it was quite cracked up. Replacing it would be nearly impossible, it seemed.
BIG CAR. One of the biggest sedan interiors around. It was as large as a 1958 Lincoln’s, but with a higher roof. The car sat higher as well, giving the impression that you could fit five people in the back seat alone. Freaking back seat looked like a full sized couch.
Neat car. Neat history. Henry Kaiser was the Henry Ford or the Elon Musk of his day. He showed America how to build fleet ships faster than anyone before, made hydroelectric dams bigger than ever before, and tried like the dickens to bring that accomplishment to the automotive world. While he didn’t succeed in the US – his Kaiser was built for years and years in South America.
With 3D printing technology so rapidly advancing, I wonder if it couldn’t be harnessed to recreate vintage plastic parts that could save an old wreck like this. I see our engineers use 3D to create some pretty difficult to fashion repair parts for custom machinery.
The hoary Continental flathead 6 really was K-F’s Achilles heel. They built prototypes of a modern 288-CID OHV V8 but couldn’t afford to put it into production.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/an-american-v8-that-never-was-the-kaiser-frazer-288.965708/
Weird ad. Why was the car left a abandoned in cave buried up to it’s axles?
CC effect again!
Interesting back story on a weird car .
-Nate
The statement of no equivalent Frazer to the Virginian hardtop is incorrect. There were 152 Frazer hardtops produced for 1951, along with the 131 convertibles. There were Frazer hardtops for 1949 and 1950 also.
The interiors of the 1951 models were holdovers from the 1949’s because of the low sales and high inventory of parts. Sad story as it could have been a nice car had it been pillarless and powered by a hefty V8.
I have seen one of these (non-convertible) 1951 Frazer Manhattan’s, and they are surprisingly beautiful, as is noted above. Packard should have grabbed from Kaiser whoever did that job. There is a lot of great detail.
We recently sold our 1947 Frazer Manhattan. While the car was immaculate and always drew attention everywhere we went, it was completely ill-suited for life in San Francisco due to its manual steering and unassisted drum brakes. We sold it to a collector in Utah, who we hope will preserve her for years to come. Interestingly, the Kaiser/Frazer enthusiast community is small but very active. Despite the rarity of these cars, someone had a NOS tiny chrome filet by the instrument panel, which was unique to the 1947 and 1948 Manhattans. A fun fact: the early models shared exterior door handles with Tuckers.