I'll Take Manhattan... [PIC]

As a kid, I seemed to have an affinity for the orphan cars of the first half of the 1950s. Like Nash, Studebaker and Hudson, the Kaisers and Frazers had, to me, eyepopping futuristic designs. This 1953 Kaiser Manhattan Club Sedan had styling cues like no other. The Kaisers were mid-level automobiles with the mid-range Manhattan model selling for $2659. Designed by Howard "Dutch" Darrin and Duncan McRae, its raked heart-shaped windscreen designed to pop out in a frontal crash. Its sculpted "Darrin Dip" side panels also offered a significant amount of glass. Also of note are the optional wire wheels and dual side mirror/spot lamps. Continuing their 'safety first' design, the dash was heavily padded and the dash controls were recessed. High grade materials were used throughout the interior. The one drawback to successful sales was the continued use of their venerable but reliable 118 HP 226.2 cid "Supersonic" flat head six at a time when the majors sported V8s at that price level. Already kept from insolvency by loans from the War Recovery Finance Agency, they didn't have the capital to develop their own. A deal was negotiated with Oldsmobile to provide their Rocket V8 but wartime demands by the US government during the Korean conflict killed the deal. The following year of 1954, Kaiser offered a McColloch supercharged version producing 140 HP called the "Super Power Six" but it was too little and too late. Kaiser ended US production in 1955, but moved their facilities to Argentina where production of the 1954 model known as the Kaiser Carabela continued into the '60s.

As happy as I was to see this model built, I would have preferred the 54-55 Manhattan or Carabela made as the last design change included the concave 'baleen' grill that, for me, really made the car.

Here it is with the base model Manhattan: