Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Carpenter on June 07, 2015, 04:17:32 PM
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I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has any information on the pink 55 Kaiser that John Parker had. Maybe even a photo from it being in a regional meet. Thank you.
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If you're referring to the Jane Mansfield car I seem to remember Rudy Phillips telling me about that car when it was at
John Parker's place in Fullerton. They saved the leather seats but I believe the rest was cut up for junk.
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I posted this picture on here a while back and asked if anyone knew anything about it - no one replied. This picture was taken in 1992 at a Steam Tractor show in Jordan, MN. I had never seen the car before nor have I seen it since. I still wonder who's it is and what the story is behind it. It does not have the '55 hood scoop so I assume it's a '54. Maybe it was done as a copy of the one of which you speak?
(http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3ce33b3127ccef40cbdfa38b200000030O01SatmLdmyB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ls%3D00203070160520131013005009100.JPG/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/)
(http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3ce33b3127ccef40c287c78e600000030O01SatmLdmyB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ls%3D00203070160520131013005009101.JPG/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/)
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The Mansfield car was single tone pink. I have a black and white shot of her next to it and the car was clearly one color. I was interested in our purchasing the car in 1982 but John had already begun to strip it of useful parts. He cut the remains up for scrap.
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The 1955 Kaiser that John Parker scrapped was factory equipped with power steering and pink leather interior. The arm rests were Willys Aero Eagle armrests and were also covered in pink leather. When I knew the car, it was painted solid white - however, the roof was originally Copperdust Metallic. To my knowledge, this car was never pink, only the interior was. Here is the only pic I have if it in the background behind the Willys Custom. I may have started the idea that it was Jayne Mansfield's car based on a discussion I had with the late Stew Whitsett of SoCal region in the early 1980's. I cannot confirm it was Jayne's car but Stew showed me an article about her 1953 Kaiser with a pic of her and the car. He told me she had more than one Kaiser, leading me to think it was possible that this '55 could have been hers. John suggested that the '55 may have been made for Henry J Kaiser himself, since pink was his color. No proof has ever been unearthed about either of these theories.
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Jim - can you scan and post the pic you have of Jayne and her Kaiser? This would be of great interest to all of us here in KFOC-land.
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I posted this picture on here a while back and asked if anyone knew anything about it - no one replied. This picture was taken in 1992 at a Steam Tractor show in Jordan, MN. I had never seen the car before nor have I seen it since. I still wonder who's it is and what the story is behind it. It does not have the '55 hood scoop so I assume it's a '54. Maybe it was done as a copy of the one of which you speak?
(http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3ce33b3127ccef40cbdfa38b200000030O01SatmLdmyB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ls%3D00203070160520131013005009100.JPG/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/)
(http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3ce33b3127ccef40c287c78e600000030O01SatmLdmyB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ls%3D00203070160520131013005009101.JPG/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/)
The car that John Parker had was...WHITE...with pink interior, and the one that Henry Kaiser gave to Jayne Mansfield. John's wfe, June, has confirmed this.
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If you're referring to the Jane Mansfield car I seem to remember Rudy Phillips telling me about that car when it was at
John Parker's place in Fullerton. They saved the leather seats but I believe the rest was cut up for junk.
This is correct.
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The 1955 Kaiser that John Parker scrapped was factory equipped with power steering and pink leather interior. The arm rests were Willys Aero Eagle armrests and were also covered in pink leather. When I knew the car, it was painted solid white - however, the roof was originally Copperdust Metallic. To my knowledge, this car was never pink, only the interior was. Here is the only pic I have if it in the background behind the Willys Custom. I may have started the idea that it was Jayne Mansfield's car based on a discussion I had with the late Stew Whitsett of SoCal region in the early 1980's. I cannot confirm it was Jayne's car but Stew showed me an article about her 1953 Kaiser with a pic of her and the car. He told me she had more than one Kaiser, leading me to think it was possible that this '55 could have been hers. John suggested that the '55 may have been made for Henry J Kaiser himself, since pink was his color. No proof has ever been unearthed about either of these theories.
Thanks. This information is very helpful. John Parker's wife, June, confirmed last week that the car indeed did belong to Henry Kaiser and was given to Jayne Mansfield...that the car was white, with pink leather interior.
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Can a Kaiser come back from the graveyard?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7Du0e9ThtI
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On the subject of pink, while the attached images are not Jayne Mansfield's car, this is an interesting late KF car that was at a KF gathering in Michigan in fall of 2008. It is the last Kaiser Carabella built in 1962 and it was custom trimmed and given to Henry J Kaiser as a tribute. In 2008 it was brought to the gathering by club member Bruce Feurstein. The exterior is white, the wheels are pink (aka Pontiac 1960s style) and the interior is pink, white and black. An interesting KF to see.
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I believe that car is this one which was in the collection of the late Bud Flanik from Washington.
(https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a6df10b3127cceeb6bbd8e475200000030O01SatmLdmyB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ls%3D00203070160520160131180327478.JPG/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/)
The Henry J in the picture, which is actually a '53 and not a '52 as the caption states, is the mate to the one I have here which was built for Edgar Kaiser. This one was restored for Henry J Kaiser by Kaiser Experimental Engineering and made as a copy of the one I have. There was another J done in 1967 for Edgar, a '52 which looked similar. That one was owned for years by the Mericles of Michigan.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7Du0e9ThtI
Could be possible.
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While in college I striped the dash and window trim of my 57 Chevy. Trim was black..used white tape. Ended up looking like jail. Changed it.
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Jake - that zebra skin dash is from the 1951 show car, what was it, Safari? Clyde Beatty, the circus man had one of the 6(?) built.
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That is the interior of Clyde Beatty's Safari car from the 1951 Chicago Auto Show. There was also the Explorer, South Seas and Caballero.
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Speaking of show cars, here's a few interior shots of the Explorer. That's polar bear fur being used as seat material. It's as rough to sit on as it looks!
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Would like to see a photo of the seat(s) from "the pink one" that was purchased as John Parker parted t out...please...and photos of any other parts that were purchased. Thanks.
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I was told by June Parker that several members bought parts of "the pink one" as John was parting it out. Would you please post photos of those parts. Thanks.
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It was one-of-a-kind. Some of you have pieces of it as John Parker was parting it out. Please share what you have, and photos.
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Jayne Mansfield was killed in an auto accident in June 1967 in Louisiana. John Parker purchased "the pink one" in northern California in 1968. Does anyone know anything about this car from the time Henry Kaiser gave it to her to the time of her death?
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If I remember correctly, the seats were tuck-n-roll pleated pink leather, pleats were approximately 1" - 1.5" wide. The car had Willys Aero hardtop armrests front & rear covered also in pink leather. The rest of the car was normal but I cannot remember the color of the dash padding. The serial number was a normal 1955 number on a plate riveted to the driver's door post. The car was originally white or cream body with Copperdust Metallic for the roof, although the entire car was painted white or cream as long as I remember it (John got it that way).
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Thank you. Aeroman. That information is a big help. Do you recall what the door panels looked like?
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I cannot recall the door panels for sure, but I'm getting a vague picture in my head that they were also pink pleated leather like the seats, but I cannot confirm. Back then (mid 1980's) I tried to talk somebody/anybody into buying that car from John for $500 to save it, but couldn't get anyone interested. I had neither space nor money for it and it needed a complete going thru. And it had factory power steering, that was why John wanted to strip it out.
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Thanks. Any information is appreciated.
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A reliable source has told me that someone in Texas bought the seats to this pink car. Would appreciate knowing who. Also, who has the doors or the door panels. Thanks.
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Yes, he has some, but not the doors or seats. Someone in Texas bought a seat or the seats.
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Does anyone know of members in Texas who may have bought parts to the pink one?
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I'm trying to keep this topic going in order to find the parts to this car that were purchased as it was parted out. One person has one of the Safety Glow lights. Do you have a part or know of someone who does..and what it is?
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John Parker parted out this car and some members have parts to it. Would you please let us know what part you have. Specifically trying to locate the seats, doors or door panels. Thanks.
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Rudy has some parts. I've talked with him. I was told that someone in Texas bought the front seat or seats.
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I'm curious what your goal is. Re-connect parts scattered to the four winds decades ago, make a registry of who owns what parts, or gather photos?
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It was a one-of-a-kind and reconstructing it with just photos is something I would like to do for the club.
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(I just emailed the following to Jack)
Please tell me as much as you know about this car that John Parker had. It belonged to Henry J. Kaiser. He gave it to Jayne Mansfield at some point in time. He died in 1967 and she was killed in an auto accident here in Louisiana in 1967. John bought it at a sale in northern California in 1968, had it in his yard for several years, then parted it out. Rudy has some parts, and Larry Barker has some. Do you know who else has parts...seats, doors or panels?
I think you can see my interest in this car, since I live in Louisiana.
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After John stripped the car out in the late 1980's, he cut up the shell and got scrap value for it. The car was a power steering car. Haven't a clue where any of the parts went but I do remember him telling me that he sold the power steering.
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Just checking to see if anyone remembers more since the last posting.
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No, but I am just picking the topic up. It would be good idea if you have not already done so - to mail a letter to each KFOCI member in Texas asking about the whereabouts of the seats and trim. You could do a form letter so you don't have to do 100 plus letters individually. That might be faster than updating here. Plus, people may know who has them but may not want to reveal.
For me, my fascination with this topic is in regards to John Parker. He must have had so many KF cars and many rare ones, that they were all $500 cars to him! Celebrity owned cars with provenance always seem to be collected by enthusiasts so it is remarkable that this car had NO VALUE to the greater community.
As a Continental Mark II enthusiast, I can tell you of the 3005 made over 1 1/2 years, many went to celebrities and titans of industry, and that is part of the fascination of owning them.
So, I find it remarkable that a car so ordered and originally owned by Henry Kaiser, then given to a celebrity such as Jayne Mansfield, becomes worth price of scrap when people in the KF world had TOTAL control over the outcome of the car. Amazing.
Finally, my 2nd thought was how much trouble Henry must have gone through to keep the gifting of the car to a buxom Jayne Mansfield out of Mrs. Kaiser's awareness! If I gave a car to an attractive female celebrity Mrs. Moran would NOT be pleased at all.
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Thank you Jake and Aeroman for responding, and Roadmaster, you have made some excellent points. Thank you too. This car is ties to Jayne Mansfield and she met her death ere in Louisiana. I hope some of you see the connection.
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I think I need to restate a point about the '55 Kaiser with the pink leather interior. When I saw the car for the first time back in the late '70's or early '80's at John Parker's shop, he never told me any of the story because he didn't really know anything.
Around the same time, I was talking to another SoCal member, the late Stew Whittsett, who told me about Jayne Mansfield having at least one Kaiser (a '53 if I recall Stew's conversation) and her favorite color was pink. He was going to get me a copy of a newspaper article about Jayne and her Kaiser but he never did. Our conversation reminded me of a b&w pic that I had seen a few years earlier of Jayne with a light colored or white '52 or '53 Kaiser. That conversation with Stew led me to the thought that perhaps the '55 was once Jayne's also.
I approached John about it and he said he didn't know, though he supposed it was possible. I also spoke to my actor friend, the late Sal Ponti, who was a good friend of Jayne's in the late 1950's and early 1960's but, not being a car guy at all, had no recollection of her Kaiser(s).
Consequently, I would talk about the car and ask questions of anybody, hoping someone might know something that would tell us one way or another if the car once belonged to Jayne. No one could ever corroborate my hypothesis and, because of this, I may have inadvertently started the rumor that the car was actually Jayne's. To my knowledge, there has never been any proof, only suppositions. I have never heard the Henry Kaiser link until this thread of conversation.
So, as far as I am concerned, it is only rumor that Jayne or H J Kaiser actually owned this car. However, there is a good chance this rumor is true on one or both counts.
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Me thinks this whole thread is a fairy tale. "Caca" we say!!! :) :) :)
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Some people know how to "moon" without dropping their pants.
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Aeroman, Mrs. John Parker (June) told me in telephone conversation that the '55 did indeed belong to Henry Kaiser and was given to Jayne Mansfield.
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Carpenter, did you get a response from our club Historian and what did he say? ???
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Nt sure who that is, but if I did it would be here on this thread.
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Believe I saw a post where you said you had contacted him a ways back.
Are you a member of KFOCI?
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Former member...need to make time to re-activate.
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I would tend to lean toward the idea that there may not be a connection, may not be real but there is no harm in contiuning to seek out answers. It's a fun topic, with possible interesting results. On the other hand there might be nothing there.
Where has Jack and Barbara been? Seems a long time since they have posted anything. Not saying Jack is the final word, but he has a wealth of knowledge.
The bottom line is - it's time for photographic proof rather than 3rd party comments. He said, she said only goes so far. The Parkers and Rudy are / were strong KF advocates so the car existed. The only questions are - was it owned by Henry and was it given to Jayne Mansfield (or transferred / sold)
One aspect I keep thinking of is wasn't Jayne Mansfield more of an early 60's B movie actress and not so much a "star" in 1954 and 1955. I think I will wikipedia her and see when she was at her height, I want to say it was 1958 to 1963ish. That might dispel a connection right there.
I believe she was killed in a 1965 Buick Electra convertible, or 1966. Again a little fact checking will tell me.
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John checked out the facts before he bought the car in 1968, and told the story to his wife June. She told the story to me. Of course, John is no longer with us to verify the story, but I'm thinking June knows what she is talking about.
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It has been established through discussion here that it was...white...with pink paint and pink leather interior....and John Parker parted out the car some time after he bought it in northern California...because, as he said "It was "too far gone to restore". On one of the threads someone posted a photo of it in John's yard.
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It's still alive, Jake. Is Fred Upshaw still living?
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Roadmaster wrote: One aspect I keep thinking of is wasn't Jayne Mansfield more of an early 60's B movie actress and not so much a "star" in 1954 and 1955. I think I will wikipedia her and see when she was at her height, I want to say it was 1958 to 1963ish. That might dispel a connection right there.
I believe she was killed in a 1965 Buick Electra convertible, or 1966. Again a little fact checking will tell me.
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Jayne Mansfield was killed in an auto accident in 1957 near Slidell, Louisiana. Her fame would have preceded 1957.
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Hollenway wrote: If you're referring to the Jane Mansfield car I seem to remember Rudy Phillips telling me about that car when it was at
John Parker's place in Fullerton. They saved the leather seats but I believe the rest was cut up for junk.
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Do you recall who got the seats? ...maybe the door panels?
I have located the arm rests, sun visors, ash tray...
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bump
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It's still alive, Jake. Is Fred Upshaw still living?
No :
https://opseu.org/news/former-opseu-president-fred-upshaw-dies-81
Not the same Fred Upshaw. Fred was the older guy across the alley from John Parker in Fullerton. Fred would be well over 100 if he were alive today. His daughter inherited his '55 Bermuda and wanted to sell it. This was maybe 8 or 10 years ago. Here's a pic of Fred's Bermuda.
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A took this today..
Jake,
YOU SHOULD CORRECT THE DATE SETTINGS ON YOUR CAMERA.
THE FILE INFO SHOWS FEB. 14, 2016 NOT TODAY WHICH IS AUG. 10, 2017.
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John Parker parted out "the pink one" The city said he had too many cars in his yard and John said it was beyond restoring. Several members have parts of it. I have some. I'm trying to locate the doors and seats...or photos of them.
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Yes, that guy. I talked with him several times before he parted out "the pink one", and before he passed away.
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bump...just on case some readers missed reading it and will share information .