Front drive Kaiser still exists somewhere, maybe.

[Aeroman]

Just curious about the lost prototype front wheel drive Kaiser. Does anyone know how many were made - 1 or several? I also remember hearing stories when I first joined the club (over 30 years ago) from some older members: someone had seen it in a junkyard in the midwest somewhere in the 1960's and from there the trail went cold.

I'd like to see what we can come up with collectively. I've always felt this car still exists somewhere, the current owner just doesn't know what it is. Any thoughts or clues, even if they're old? Has any of our members actually seen this car? If so, when and where? Let's put together all the info we have and see if we can find it.

[G.B. (All Vinyl Dragon)]

Areoman,

Everyone has been looking. Last Onslaught Say's 1... Someone said in Arkansas yard   Notice: the front fenders differant. I think We have a few in Our Club with the longer Front fenders on Early Kaisers , but is a regular rear wheel drive.

For years only 2 Onyx Dragons on the List top of the Dragon list. We Have one new on the list that showed up. One more in Minnesota junk Yard in bad shape.

Remember it is important to get the numbers even if not restartable. We can also account that We found it.  Also Our Lists of K.F. Product is only what has been found through the Years. If you find one not on the List it is a New find & count One more. If on the list that's good to because it is back in the Club...

[kfsteve391]

Tom Rankine saw what he thought could have been a FWD Kaiser in a Detroit wrecking yard back in the late 50's. He said the bumpers looked like Frazer but were different. He could not get too close to the car as the junkyard dog made that car his home. The yard disappeared in the mid 60's for an Expressway. Have heard many "stories" about a FWD Kaiser but none have been found. If found, it would easily be one of the rarest cars produced by KF.

[joefrazer]

There was a large junkyard west of Detroit in Canton, Michigan that purportedly was the last resting place of several factory prototype and crash test cars. I worked in the aftermarket auto parts industry for several years and a coworker's dad was a dismantler in the yard in the 40s and 50s and remembered quite a few KF built cars being hauled in. He said that they always squashed the cars per orders from the factory. I quizzed him about the FWD car and his father did not remember seeing it...but that doesn't mean that it didn't happen. So, the plot thickens!

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

The Canton MI yard got a lot of prototypes and show cars because it had established a reputation for "disposal" the way the car companies wanted things "disposed".  The cars disposed of included the 2 (and there were only two) K-85 Kaisers built, at a cost of at least $400,000.  This is identified in two appropriation requests for project funds.  One had an aluminum body, the other had steel.

The cars were cut in two up the center post on one side, across the top, down the other corner post and across the floor (ended up looking like a rotted out Renault Dauphine, caved in at the center).  The remains were crushed out c.1964. 

The hood, fenders and other sheet metal stampings tooled up for the K-85 were used initially for the K-100 Kaisers.  Cut points by serial number for use are found in the Kaiser-Frazer/Graham-Paige 1946 chassis book and the first version of the chassis/body book (non-illustrated in 1947).