Author Topic: Is there a registry of existing cars?  (Read 1342 times)

89tc

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Is there a registry of existing cars?
« on: March 10, 2022, 11:01:35 PM »
Hi everybody, newbie here!
   I don't have a KF car yet but was contemplating buying an Allstate junker I found in the woods, to save from the ravages of nature. I've looked up the production numbers on the internet and it looks like 2363 were made over two years of production, although various internet sources differ.
  But my question is: does anyone know how many exist today? It appears that some KF models have non-public registries documenting their existence since years back; I was just wondering if there's a similar registry on a member's hard drive that has been documenting the existence of the Allstates over the years.
  In researching the Allstate, it seems that it was not well received by the public when new, and therefore didn't last long on the roads before being scrapped. As a result, and based on internet searches yielding few results, I'm assuming that a fraction (maybe roughly 1/4??) exist today.
  Can anyone support or debunk this claim? I'm asking because I'm a car lover and I hate to see old cars rot into the ground.

joefrazer

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Re: Is there a registry of existing cars?
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2022, 07:12:05 AM »
Here's a link to a registry by year and model. Keep in mind that some of the listings are older and the cars may either no longer exist or the owners have changed. In many cases, the owner listed is actually the person who found the car and reported the listing.

If the car you found isn't on the list, please report it!

https://eskimo.com/~hhagen/reg/reg.htm

kaiserfrazerlibrary

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Re: Is there a registry of existing cars?
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2022, 11:05:13 AM »
The Allstate began (and ended) as a test marketing program pushed at Sears Roebuck & Company by Theodore Hauser who was the point man for the Sears Auto Centers.   Alex Tremulis, the man who designed the Tucker (and other iconic production cars over the years) worked in the K-F Styling Department at the time and came up with the Allstate logo (used in place of the Henry J logos on Allstates) and the front end treatment (the 2 grille bar arrangement) which some have preferred over the 2 Henry J types. 

Only selected Sears Auto Centers were set up to sell the Allstate; they were in the south and southwest (but not California).  In cities where the Allstate was offered early sales indicated that the car outsold the HJ so it was continued on into the 1953 model year.  Sears abandoned the project when management there realized the cost of selling a car included millions of dollars for design changes from time to time.  It was not like a refrigerator that could be built and sold looking the same for a number of years. 

Allstate interiors used fabrics sold in the Yard Goods department as Sears and the cars used the same bodies and interior appointments as the Henry J.  There are 2 versions of the 1952 Allstate; version 1 used the 1951 HJ body shell and had the tail lights mounted in the rear of the body between the quarter panel and opening for the deck lid (like the HJ, Allstates could be purchased with or without deck lid).  The second version has the tail lights in the top back end of the quarter panel.  All 1953 Allstates also have the tail lights in the quarter panel, but have a different dashboard (as did the Henry J).

The cars were available in the following series:
A230 - 4 cylinder 1952 models (both versions)
A240 - 6 cylinder 1952 models (both versions)
A330 - 4 cylinder 1953 models
A340 - 6 cylinder 1953 models

Production started in December 1951 and went into the Spring of 1953.  According to the factory's own records, 888 1952 A230 models were produced, 503 A240 were produced, 425 A330 and 372 A340 models came off the production line.  All Allstates were built at Kaiser-Frazer's Willow Run, MI plant and carry SEARS ROEBUCK & COMPANY rather than KAISER-FRAZER CORPORATION names on the door post serial number tag and the 2 body tags located by the driver side hood hinge area of the firewall.

Photos attached were part of the press kit released in December 1951 and show the first version (1951 bodies) of the 1952.

rdgodwin1954@gmail.com

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Re: Is there a registry of existing cars?
« Reply #3 on: March 11, 2022, 02:49:00 PM »
Enjoyed reading this history of the Allstate! Thanks