1949 Frazer Manhattan convertible

In the years that followed the Second World War, automotive consumers In the United States were starved for new cars, as the last cars off the assembly lines had been 1942 models. Many drivers held onto their old cars through the war and survived scrap drives and the rationing of gasoline and tires and now that the war was over, they were more than ready for something new. Enter Henry J. Kaiser.

Kaiser had amassed a fortune as a contractor as his firm had built the Hoover, the Bonneville and Grand Coulee Dams and he had built an empire of construction material companies. With the onset of the war with Japan and Germany, Kaiser with no prior shipbuilding experience established seven shipyards on the West Coast that produced ships faster than previously imagined using faster construction techniques such as welding instead of riveting and the use of sub-assemblies. 

Long-time automobile executive Joseph Frazer, a young college graduate, started his career in the auto industry as a mechanic’s assistant in a Packard dealership before he moved into sales. Frazer then jumped to General Motors (GM) where he helped establish General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) that pioneered automotive financing. 

While at GM he met Walter P Chrysler, and followed Walter to Willys-Overland then to Maxwell, which later became Chrysler Motors. While at Chrysler, Frazer convinced Walter P. to start a lower-priced line of cars called Plymouth.

Frazer eventually got his own chance to turn around a struggling automaker at Graham-Paige Motors, and he planned to change the name to Frazer, but he needed financing. Frazer met Henry J. Kaiser, a larger than life super-successful businessman well known to the public who had an interest in the auto industry as well as a $10 million line of credit from Bank of America.

It seemed to be a marriage made in heaven – Henry Kaiser had ideas on how to streamline automobile manufacturing but needed an industry insider knowledgeable about sales and marketing, and Joseph Frazer needed financing and the notoriety of a respected public figure. The Kaiser-Frazer Corporation was born in July 1945, obtained the assets of Graham-Paige in a stock deal and set up shop in the massive Willow Run Michigan B-24 bomber factory, then the largest building in the world. An initial stock offering raised $54 million for the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation.

In early 1946, the company debuted two prototypes at the New York Auto Show, a front-wheel drive Kaiser and the conventional Frazer sedan. The front-wheel drive design never went into production due to engineering hurtles, and the 1947 production Kaiser and Frazer sedans were all but identical. 

The new cars styled by Howard “Dutch” Darrin were conventional with two new concepts – all-welded construction, a wider rear seat that was between the wheels as the result of moving the rear wheels behind the passenger compartment. a large luggage compartment, curved wraparound bumpers, dual horns, twin sun visors, automatic dome lights, and large, hydraulic self-centering brakes.   

Mechanically the new Kaiser and Frazer cars were quite conventional for its time, with a pre-war design L-head 6-cylinder 226-cubic inch Continental ‘Red Seal’ engine which developed just 100 horsepower with a single Carter carburetor, while dual Carter carburetors boosted output to 112 horsepower at 3600 revolutions per minute (RPM).  The slow-turning Continental engine was prone to overheating and failing head gaskets, and coupled to a manual three-speed transmission with overdrive, a Frazer sedan typically accelerated from 0 to 60 miles per hour (MPH) in 19 seconds with a top speed of 85 mph.

Due to production delays, the first production Kaiser and Frazer automobiles did not roll out of the Willow Run factory until May 29, 1946, and were shipped to dealers in mid-June, registered as 1947 models. In a hot market, Kaiser-Frazer ultimately sold 70,474 Kaisers and 68,775 Frazers during the 1947 model year, giving the company the best market share (4%) of any of the American independent manufacturers.

The Frazer line which was billed as “America’s Largest-Selling Fine car” was led by the luxurious Manhattan, in addition to the Standard and Deluxe models. Kaiser-Frazer sales remained strong through in 1948 despite relatively high prices, for example, a Frazer Manhattan had a manufacturer’s list price for $27 higher than a Cadillac Series 62 sedan.

In late 1948 at a Kaiser-Frazer board meeting, Henry Kaiser pushed for an increase in production for 1949, which was opposed by Joseph Frazer. Although sales had increased slightly and the company maintained 4% of the market in 1948, profits had dropped. The board voted with Kaiser and Frazer resigned his presidency, but remained with company for more three years a sales consultant.

In 1949, Kaiser introduced the “Virginian,” a faux convertible built on the 123-inch wheelbase sedan chassis which featured a nylon top over a steel roof.  Frazer on the other hand that year introduced a hand-built convertible based on the Manhattan sedan body, but not without some problems. Edgar Kaiser, son of the founder, who took over the Frazer presidency after Frazer’s resignation ordered engineers to not add reinforcement after they cut the roof off the sedan. Edgar eventually had to admit his error, and the production car’s boxed frame was reinforced with a giant X-brace. 

The additional bracing took the car’s curb weight up to over 3700 pounds, and the anemic Continental engine was no match for the car’s bulk.  To add more rigidity, the Manhattan’s window frames and the “B” pillar between the front and rear doors remained fix in place and were not retractable, so this car cannot be considered a true “convertible.” Experts differ on production numbers, as some of the unsold Manhattan convertibles were re-badged as 1950 models, but this car’s owner states that only 62 1949 Manhattan convertibles were sold.  

Joseph Frazer’s instincts were proved correct, as the “Big Three” brought their new models to market which fed the public’s appetite for new cars. Kaiser-Frazer’s original body style looked dated, and the lack of performance and durability of the Continental engine did not help. Kaiser-Frazer sales dropped to just over 100,000 units (2% market share) and at the end of the 1949 model year, there were 20,000 leftover cars which the company was forced to re-brand as 1950 models. For 1949 the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation posted a loss of nearly $30 million dollars. 

After Joseph Frazer’s departure, the Frazer nameplate was soon dropped, and the 10,000 1951 Frazers sold that were leftover actually 1950 models that used up the company’s remaining stock of bodies and high-end upholstery materials. In 1952, the company changed its name to the Kaiser Corporation and began selling Manhattans as a luxurious  member of the Kaiser line. 

In 1953 Kaiser bought Willys-Overland and its Jeep brand. Although Kaiser stopped building its eponymous nameplate in the United States in 1955 after total 1954 sales of only 7,000 units, it continued to build Jeeps until it sold the brand to the American Motors Corporation in 1970. 

The 1949 Frazer Manhattan as displayed at the Automotive Driving Museum in El Segundo California is one of the few examples remaining and is resplendent finished in Indian Ceramic with a black top and interior set off by the gleaming chrome trim.

    

All photographs by the author