1950
Welcome to 1950s Cars – Kaiser-Frazer
1950 Kaiser DeLuxe Vagabond
1950 Kaiser’s were leftover ’49 models, new
redesigned cars were to debut mid-year but unsold inventory forced a delay
the Vagabond had a tailgate like trunk opening and fold down rear seats
which formed a deck much like a station wagon
Cost: $2,228.00
1950 Frazer Manhattan
Frazer made the higher end models for Kaiser-Frazer Corp.
Joseph Frazer retires from the company in 1949
leaving only the Kaiser family to run things
sales are not very good
mostly because of a lack of new models being released this year
Cost: $3,295.00
1951
1951 Frazer Manhattan Convertible
Frazer boasted a major redesign this year
but they were only remodeled 1949/1950 Kaiser’s with the Frazer badge
this would be the last year for Frazer
1951 Frazer advertisement
1952
1952 Kaiser-Frazer Allstate
Allstate was marketed exclusively through Sears & Roebuck
it was limited to stores in the southern states who also carried auto products
this infuriated Kaiser-Frazer dealers who had to sell a similar model,
(the Henry J) for more money and less standard equipment
Trivia note: Sear’s hung on to this name and later sold Insurance under it
Cost: $1,459.00
1952 Allstate
A rear view of the Sears Allstate
With so much conflict surrounding this car
Kaiser redesigns the Henry J and renames it a Corsair
Sears continues to sell the old style under the Allstate name
Cost: $1,395.00
1953
1953 Kaiser Dragon
This Dragon came with gold plated badges and trim,
a padded roof and a wild interior of Bambu vinyl and Laguna pattern cloth
making it possibly the ritziest ’53 on the market
Cost: $2,319.00
1954 Kaiser Special
Although teetering on the brink itself
Kaiser makes a bold move and purchases Willys Motors
the newly formed company is called Kaiser-Willys but it is short lived
Kaiser once again sells left over inventory from ’53 as new models,
a practice which is not popular with the public
Dragon and Travelers models are dropped from the lineup
Cost: $2,390.00
1955
1955 Willys Bermuda
Kaiser had purchased Willys to gain a foothold
in the low end economy market, the Bermuda was billed as America’s cheapest hardtop
they gave it two-tone paint and flashy upholstery but only 2200 were sold
all manufacturing was moved to Buenos Aires for sales to the Latin American market
the new venture is co-owned by Kaiser and the Argentine Government
Cost: $1,895.00
1955 Kaiser Manhattan
Kaiser had good intentions with this model
but it wasn’t meant to be, out of over a thousand built
only a couple of hundred are actually bought in America
the rest are shipped to Argentina along with the manufacturing
Kaiser-Willys is gone from North America
