Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: blackcat429cj on November 19, 2011, 06:09:21 PM
-
Going through old photos today. Here are a couple of pictures my cousin gave to me after her dad had passed away. He was a former KF dealer from 1947-1954. He had these pictures on his desk in his office. I'm not sure who took them.
My aunt was a Northwest Orient Airlines employee, She also owned 2 51 Henry Js. the first a Gray 4 Cylinder that she purchased and had while she was working in Seattle, the 2nd was a Blue 6 Cylinder/Overdrive car that she purchased after moving back to Minneapolis St Paul, It is likely that either she or friends of hers took the pictures while traveling in Japan.
-
Mitch,
These were taken in Tokyo during late 1950. Not only did Kaiser-Frazer have a distributor in Tokyo covering Japan and Okinawa, they assembled Henry J automobiles (and perhaps a few Kaisers) at a facillity in Kawasaki. The assembly plant was a joint venture with what was first thought to be Fuiji Heavy Industries (Subaru) based on the name of the Japanese partner. However, of late Mitsubishi has claimed the connection. Mitsubishi also assembled Jeeps under license from Willys-Overland. The Kaiser-Frazer cars have a "J" on either the door post serial number tag or the body serial number tag (like K513-J002311) and were sold to American service people or Americans working for the occupation government. Some of these cars may have ended up back in the states as it is known that the military would ship cars and other household belongings of servicepeople when their tours of duty ended and they came home.
It should be noted that Mitsubishi and Fuiji were large corporate trusts before the war, and were broken up in stages after World War II ended.
The known information as of the summer of 2009 can be found in the overseas assembly plant section of KFOCI HANDBOOK Version 4.0 including a couple pictures taken at the assembly plant. Information on parentage of the facility will be updated when the first updated release of the material takes place.
Jack mueller
-
Thanks for the feedback. I just remember seeing the pictures back in the 70s. The dating of the pictues would coincide with when my aunt traveled to Tokyo. So I suspect being a Henry J owner she snapped a couple of pictures.
Just thought I would share.
-
Thanks for the great photos, blackcat429cj and the background, Jack.