Transition to the Kaiser Manhattan as Top of the Trim Levels

[Roadmaster49]

When did the change occur when Kaisers were given Manhattan level trim and the Manhattan name? Was it only after all the Frazers were completed and sent to dealers?  Was it simultaneous ?

Was there a Kaiser other then the Virginian or the convertible that was considered as well laid out/trimmed as the Manhattan?

There is a seller in Iowa that is offering me a 49 Kaiser that he says is well appointed with lots of options. It just got me thinking about the significance of the Manhattan name.  Why did Kaiser continue using Manhattan? Did it have by 1951 a significance in the public's eye as a premium name plate?

[Fid]

That's a good question. My answer may not be totally complete and kaiserfrazerlibrary will probably be able to supply a better one but the first Kaiser Manhattan showed up in the 1952 model year.
Were there fancy trimmed Kaisers before this? Yes, in 1947 the Kaiser 'Custom' was introduced. It was a Kaiser with Frazer trim and upholstery. A very rare car indeed. The Custom was dropped shortly after the 1948 model years so 1948 Customs are among the rarest of Kaiser cars. I've seen about a half dozen '47 Customs but I've only seen two 1948 Customs, one was owned by my father from 1970 to 1981. It was the first Kaiser we owned and when we acquired it, we had no idea how rare it was. As far as I know, and someone correct me if they know otherwise, that Linden Green 1948 Custom is the only surviving Custom that was factory equipped with all-leather upholstery. A very fancy car indeed. There's more info and I'm sure Jack will provide more information. I will also add there is a very nice light blue Custom that shows up at midwest meets - it was at the national in Oshkosh in 2001 and Auburn in 2004 and it was also on the KFOC Kalendar back in 2002. The car is always listed as a '1948 Custom' but it is indeed a '47. The serial/model number of K101 confirms it's a '47 but for some reason it's always identified as a 1948.

[Jim B PEI]

Prior to assuming the Manhattan name in 52, Kaiser also put out a specially trimmed Deluxe as a "Dragon" in several series, I suppose to vie with the Frazer Manhattan, so the Custom wasn't the only fancy Kaiser, though it was the fanciest with leather seats available.

The 51 Frazer was an afterthought to use up the various first series bodies that were left over--sedan, convertible, utility and hardtop, as Joe F was essentially out of the picture by that time.

[HJ-ETEX]

I always thought Manhattan was a charming, sophisticated name for a car model and certainly more inspired than Custom, Deluxe or Special which seemed to be used at some time by every car manufacturer. They couldn't apply Manhattan to the the 51 Kaisers since 50 Frazers and the remodeled 51 Frazers were being sold at least in the early part of the 51 Kaiser model run. (51 Kaisers were introduced early and therefore the model year lasted unusually long). But at least they held on to the Manhattan name and applied it to the better trimmed later Kaisers. It is a pity that Kaiser could not come up with a companion name for the lesser trimmed Kaisers instead of using Special, Deluxe and Special again. Manhattan and Newark? Manhattan and Bronx? Manhattan and Hoboken? I guess I have seen too many TV sitcoms based in NYC because most area names around NYC seem amusing or down right hilarious.
But how about this. Don't name the cheaper model after another locale in the NYC or East Coast area at all. Name it after a WEST COAST locale. And one name that pops into my mind is Richmond which also has a Kaiser family tie-in through the Richmond Shipyards.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Kaiser-Frazer moved the Manhattan series name to the upper-end Kaisers for the later part of the 1952 model year (cars with larger rear bumper & tail lights, 1-piece windshield, etc).

Joe Frazer was the one who implemented the "Manhattan" name back in 1946 when Graham-Paige still expected to be in the automobile business.  Richard (AMC styling head) Teague was a young designer working with the E.H. Daniels design firm (before it shut down & Daniels ended up working for Kaiser-Frazer) and worked up the trim and upgraded appointment package.  A couple Manhattans were built to show the concept; they carry Graham-Paige tags rather than Kaiser-Frazer.  Canadian member Glen Wood****** came across one of the cars in his own search for a Manhattan.

The Kaiser Custom was an extention of the Manhattan in that for a relatively small amount of money (per car) the company could make more money per vehicle with the dress-up.  Less than 1,300 Customs were built as 1948's (production of 1948's started December 1, 1947 per a K-F service bulletin and went into August 1948).  Month-by-month production figures for 1947 and 1948 model year Customs will be found when the first update to KFOCI HANDBOOK Version 4.0 goes out to the membership (no idea when that will be, if ever). 

[Jim B PEI]

I always mused that Kaiser Frazer should have used some more evocative names for certain models, and spread them about, continent-wise. Really going for 'badge engineering' to make something completely different from the same thing, with small visual changes.

Starting with the convertibles, why not the Frazer Palm Beach with a cloisonne palm emblem? And the Kaiser Palm Springs (California connection). Name the fancy hardtops Frazer Florida and the Kaiser California.

I always thought that they could have built extended version cars as limousines, and called them the Frazer 'Park Avenue' and the Kaiser 'Long Island'

Instead of the Carolina, what says frugal and sensible like the Kaiser Kansas with a wheat sheaf emblem? Especially if it has limited chrome and an overdrive?

Building a car-front-seat-and-sheet-metal pickup as some did? Kaiser Colorado.

Save the Virginian name for the reserialized leftovers with the continental kit...or why not the Kaiser Continental, and Frazer Virginian for these models?

And finally for the Henry J--if Joe were still involved-- sell a Frazer Fox with a utility hatch and a running fox emblem, and a 2 door convertible Firefly ditto, both with luxury fittings, and a six/overdrive only. "Luxury in a small, easy to park package. The ideal second car"

Of course, the 'cheap deal to get the money' car with the 4 and no options, and every Kaiser dealer getting one for the showroom with the price in big numbers to generate traffic..."Henry J Kaiser keeps his promise for a new low cost car--the Kaiser 'Henry J' delivers real value!" while the real money would have been made selling a more upscale version with 4 or 6 and more options, either a utility or the standard body but with a slightly different name of some sort.

[Roadmaster49]

Good information.  I agree, and using the Rose colored glasses and 20/20 hindsight afforded to arm chair historians - there is much more that KF could have done to market and address the models line-up issues.

I am about half way thru reading Langworth's 47-51 Frazer write up in an OLD Collectible Automobile, and much of it is on Joe Frazer the man so far and what a bone headed move it was to move him aside in 1949.

Kaiser seemed to me to be a "his way or the highway" guy. And I see a LOT of parallels between the relationship of Henry Ford to Edsel Ford, who the elder berated and basically ended up killing and the relationship between Henry and Edgar Kaiser. I don't want to phrase it wrong but it seems like Edgar did not step in and say "wait a minute" when Joe F was ousted or quit or whatever.

Edgar should have displayed more backbone in those crucial 1949 meetings and said our only hope is to keep Joe Frazer. Instead, it appears the Kaisers ganged up on Joe and he was out.

After that, it just seems (to me) like Henry lost passion for the enterprise, knew it was going to die and treated KF like "a toy" knowing his fortune and lifestyle would not be effected by the eventual demise.

Kind of off topic, kind of not.  Manhattan was a GREAT NAME. It evokes a feeling of brights lights, big city elegance.  I own a 49 Chrysler New Yorker 2 door club coupe, and my 49 Kaiser Virginian, the names help sell the style.  I also own a 48 Packard Custom 8 club sedan, a car virtually hand made and much more of a car then the New Yorker or the Virginian, but it doesn't possess a cool name.

[Logan]

"The Kaisers never retrench!"

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Joe had a number of issues with Henry Kaiser which led to an ever widening split:

1.  Frazer spent only a couple days a week at Willow Run.  He took the train from Newport RI and got into the K-F offices on Monday.  Tues. afternoon he left Michigan for New York City and spent 2 days at Graham-Paige's offices (after Graham moved out) as CEO then on Friday, he went back home to Newport.  Kaiser felt that like his other top executives, Frazer should devote 100% of the time to Kaiser-Frazer.

2.  Even though Joe Frazer had the equivilent of a contract to be President of K-F until at least July 31, 1949 (I have a copy of the particular document), Frazer wanted a multi-year pay & play contract (I get paid for duration of the contract).  Henry Kaiser normally did not use contracts for his top executives; they worked off handshakes and were kept in place based on ability.

3.  The Earl Muntz under the table payment of $84,000 which is documented in the files of Pergament et. al V. Frazer et. al.

Addtionally, Frazer knew about the inventory build up situation with 1948 models, and dealer inability to sell 1949 model year cars in the fall of 1948 because the factory shipped them significantly incomplete and could not supply missing parts to all dealers involved until late winter 1949.    The Frazer budget would not have worked as the company needed to sell at least 70,000 cars during calendar 1949 in order to hope to break even.  K-F sold significantly under 60,000 cars to dealers in all of 1949.