Frazer (automobile)
Encyclopedia
The Frazer was the flagship line of upper-medium priced American luxury automobiles built by the Kaiser-Frazer
Corporation of Willow Run Ypsilanti, Michigan
, and was, with Crosley
, the first American car with new envelope body and fresh postwar styling.
Named for longtime American automobile executive Joseph W. Frazer
who was now president and general manager of Kaiser-Frazer, the Frazer was styled by Howard "Dutch" Darrin with some input from other K-F stylists. The new Frazer won the Fashion Academy of New York Gold Medal for design achievement. Production began on May 29, 1946 and the Frazer made its public debut June 29, 1946. There was one basic four-door sedan body shell that was shared with the similar but lower-priced (by $200 to $600) Kaiser
. The Frazer used the Continental Red Seal 226 CID "Supersonic" L-head six powerplant which reached 115 hp by the end of Frazer production at the conclusion of the 1951 model year. The luxury line Frazer Manhattan Series F47C was introduced on March 23, 1947 at a $500 premium over the original Frazer Series F-47, which continued on as the Standard. By 1948, Frazer sales totaled about 1.5% of all American cars built.
The dramatically-restyled 1951 Frazer models included a four-door convertible, a hardtop sedan, and the Frazer Vagabond, a unique hatchback sedan. The final Frazers were introduced in March 1950 and were an immediate hit with the public. Over 50,000 orders were placed, but at that point Joseph W. Frazer had left the company and K-F management decided to instead concentrate only on Kaiser production after building 10,214 of the 1951 Frazers.
Kaiser-Frazer
The Kaiser-Frazer Corporation was the result of a partnership between automobile executive Joseph W. Frazer and industrialist Henry J. Kaiser. In 1947, the company acquired the automotive assets of Graham-Paige, of which Frazer had been president before the Second World War...
Corporation of Willow Run Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
, and was, with Crosley
Crosley
The Crosley was an automobile manufactured by the Crosley Corporation and later by Crosley Motors Incorporated in the United States from 1939 to 1952.-History:...
, the first American car with new envelope body and fresh postwar styling.
Named for longtime American automobile executive Joseph W. Frazer
Joseph W. Frazer
Joseph Washington Frazer was a 20th-century American automobile company executive employed in succession by Chrysler, Willys-Overland, Graham-Paige and Kaiser-Frazer Corporation...
who was now president and general manager of Kaiser-Frazer, the Frazer was styled by Howard "Dutch" Darrin with some input from other K-F stylists. The new Frazer won the Fashion Academy of New York Gold Medal for design achievement. Production began on May 29, 1946 and the Frazer made its public debut June 29, 1946. There was one basic four-door sedan body shell that was shared with the similar but lower-priced (by $200 to $600) Kaiser
Kaiser
Kaiser is the German title meaning "Emperor", with Kaiserin being the female equivalent, "Empress". Like the Russian Czar it is directly derived from the Latin Emperors' title of Caesar, which in turn is derived from the personal name of a branch of the gens Julia, to which Gaius Julius Caesar,...
. The Frazer used the Continental Red Seal 226 CID "Supersonic" L-head six powerplant which reached 115 hp by the end of Frazer production at the conclusion of the 1951 model year. The luxury line Frazer Manhattan Series F47C was introduced on March 23, 1947 at a $500 premium over the original Frazer Series F-47, which continued on as the Standard. By 1948, Frazer sales totaled about 1.5% of all American cars built.
The dramatically-restyled 1951 Frazer models included a four-door convertible, a hardtop sedan, and the Frazer Vagabond, a unique hatchback sedan. The final Frazers were introduced in March 1950 and were an immediate hit with the public. Over 50,000 orders were placed, but at that point Joseph W. Frazer had left the company and K-F management decided to instead concentrate only on Kaiser production after building 10,214 of the 1951 Frazers.
See also
- List of defunct United States automobile manufacturers