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Is there one model you can't get enough of?

Randy Rusk · 2026-09-11T22:47:05Z

Every collector has certain cars that seem to exert an extra pull. For me, that usually means the orphans... the marques that disappeared, the companies that took a chance, and the cars that represent some fascinating road not ultimately taken by the auto industry. And among all of those, one model continues to get me every time: the 1951 Frazer Manhattan Convertible Sedan. Frazer was born from the postwar partnership between industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and automotive executive Joseph W. Frazer. By 1951, however, the partnership was nearing its end, and the Frazer nameplate was living on borrowed time. For its final model year, the marque received a dramatic new look created under noted designer Howard “Dutch” Darrin. Longer, lower and much more distinctive than its predecessors, the 1951 Frazer was deliberately different from its Kaiser stablemate. The upscale Manhattan sat at the top of the range, powered by a 226-cubic-inch L-head six producing about 115 horsepower, with GM’s Hydra-Matic automatic transmission available. The real showstopper was the Manhattan Convertible Sedan—a wonderfully improbable four-door convertible, complete with hydraulic windows and top and a suitably luxurious leather interior. It was also extraordinarily rare. Just 131 examples were produced, alongside only 152 Manhattan four-door hardtops. With a price around $3,075 (serious money in 1951) the Manhattan convertible was hardly destined for mass-market success. Frazer production ended after the 1951 model year as Joseph Frazer exited the company, although the Manhattan name itself survived, migrating to Kaiser for 1952. That combination of ambitious styling, rarity, and commercial failure makes the ’51 Frazer almost a textbook orphan and precisely the kind of automobile I find irresistible. Fortunately, the Frazer Manhattan Convertible has also been beautifully preserved in 1:43 scale. Highway Travelers produced the car in white metal, and over time it appeared in a surprising assortment of colors. And somewhere along the way, collecting the Frazer stopped being a matter of owning one example and became a quest to find all of them. (See this earlier post when I was just getting started) I believe I've finally done it. My lineup now includes Aloha Green, Blue, Garden Green Metallic, Indian Ceramic, Yellow, and Mariner Gray, with the Mariner Gray car being the latest arrival. Then there is the real oddity of the group: a striking creamy yellow and black factory-made version that is marked one of only two produced. I picked that one up from the Tom Nathan collection. And while it certainly wins the rarity contest, interestingly enough, it isn't my favorite. That distinction goes to Indian Ceramic. It's difficult to describe the color without seeing it, somewhere in that unmistakably period coral/salmon family, and it looks unlike almost anything you'd expect to see on a modern automobile. Indian Ceramic was an actual Kaiser-Frazer color name, which makes the miniature that much more appealing to me. It's quirky, slightly flamboyant and completely of its time. In other words, it's perfect for a Frazer. Here's a great pic that John Merritt took of his, which served as my inspiration to find one. And maybe that's the fun of collecting. Sometimes it isn't about checking another make or model off the list. Sometimes one particular car keeps calling you back, and suddenly you realize you own it in six colors, seven colors, or however many someone manages to uncover next. So what's yours? Is there one car or model that you simply can't get enough of? One that you'll happily buy again just because it comes along in another color or variation?

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Christopher Moroni

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13/09/2026 6:50 am

@nickies I started out being focused - like you. 🧐 🤓 Then, I started collecting "everything" - like Randy. 🙄 🙄

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Ed Glorius

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13/09/2026 1:07 pm

I always loved Ferraris from an early age, and I have quite a few. I was particularly excited when Matrix announced the outrageous 410 Superfast..

This post was modified 4 weeks ago by Ed Glorius

Retired in Dunedin, Florida.

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Karl Schnelle

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13/09/2026 5:27 pm

It's not so much an orphan or a nostalgia for my youth, but it's about a look or a style. A Zagato design probably, maybe the Alfa TZ...

I can't get enough of them!

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GDH

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14/09/2026 3:57 am

@randyrusk I have the GLM J&B RR Vincent van, as well and they didn't come easy or cheap.

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Bob Jackman

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14/09/2026 8:33 am

@nickies Richard, I admire your will power especially knowing at one time you collected across the board.

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Dave_Larsen

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14/09/2026 9:36 pm

Randy, here is one of the '51 Frazer convertibles top up with the top down version to compare. The '49 Frazer Manhattan was also done by Conquest/Madison.

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Harv Goranson

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15/09/2026 3:32 pm

Arnolts. And Cunninghams. And any NART cars. Any 1981 Le Mans cars I don't yet have. There are probably others.

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Ed Davis

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15/09/2026 3:40 pm

@mg-harv What is NART?

Ed Davis
Inverness, Illinois, USA

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Christopher Moroni

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15/09/2026 3:50 pm

@ed-davis "NART" is an acronym meaning North American Racing Team. 😉

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Harv Goranson

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15/09/2026 3:57 pm

@ed-davis North American Racing Team. Started by Luigi Chinetti, and ran from 1958 to 1982. Here's the Wiki page, and a few of mine. They're easy to spot by the rectangular Ferrari badge on the flanks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Racing_Team