1950-51 Frazer Manhattan 4-Door "Hardtop" Facelift

The Frazer was the upper-medium price range car offered by the post- World War 2 startup firm Kaiser-Frazer Corporation.  Its Kaiser brand was its medium price offering.  From the outside, all K-F cars 1947-1950 looked nearly identical aside from grilles.  Interior fittings were what distinguished the price levels.

Both brands were given major upgrades for model year 1951.  Kaisers were totally redesigned, and Frazers were given a major facelift that I wrote about here.

The present post elaborates on Frazer's facelift with reference to a body type that, with a little imagination, might be considered an early example of the American hardtop (B-pillarless windows) sedans.  General Motors began selling those in 1955 followed by other brands for 1956 and later.

K-F hardtop sedans first appeared as Kaiser Virginians for the 1949 model year.  Frazer Manhattans were that brand's upscale four-door sedan range starting in 1947 (there was a lesser Standard sedan model).  Frazer's Manhattan 4-door convertible sedan appeared for 1949, but it seems that only one "hardtop" version was built.  Images of it are shown below.

While Kaisers were redesigned for 1951, Frazers were facelifted largely because K-F had a significant stock of unused 1949-1950 vintage bodies that needed to be sold.  Kaiser Virginian bodies were the basis for Frazer's Manhattan hardtop sedans, only 152 of which were made (along with 131 convertible sedans).

All images below are via Mecum Auctions.

Gallery

1947 Frazer Manhattan Sedan
This was the only Kaiser-Frazer body style during the first two model years.

1950 Frazer Manhattan "Hardtop" Sedan
The single example, perhaps built for a K-F executive.  Aside from the grille, Kaiser Virginians looked the same.  Note the lower, flatter top compared to that of the 4-door sedan in the previous photo.  Below the beltlines the bodies are the same aside from the covered rear wheel opening on the hardtop.  Some 946 Virginians were built models years 1949-1950.

1951 Frazer Manhattan "Hardtop" Sedan
The facelifted, production version.  The 1951 Frazer facelift used new sheetmetal forward of the A-pillar and included new rear fenders abaft of the back side door.  The B-pillar above the belt is fixed, comprised of two vertical metal elements with glass sandwiched between them.

1951 Frazer Manhattan Convertible Sedan
Side window framing was fixed for both the convertible sedans and hardtop sedans, though the door glass was retractible.

1949-50 Frazer Manhattan
The top was metal, covered in Vinyl or some other treated fabric.

1951 Frazer Manhattan
The redesigned front end.

1949-50 Frazer Manhattan
Initial K-F design was slab-sided and otherwise plain compared to most other postwar designs.

1951 Frazer Manhattan
The restyled fenders included character lines that reduced the slab-sidedness.  K-F should have done this fron the beginning, though the eventual lack of a V-8 motor would have eventually killed the firm.