Kaiser Limousine, and a bit of help...

Patrick J. Martin

Patrick J. Martin

PCS Life Member/Illini Chapter President
Attached is a photo of a 1949 or 1950 Kaiser eight-door limousine, believed to be an Armbruster conversion. It is my understanding that the car either is or at least was in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area, and it is also my understanding that the owner has passed away and that the car hasn't been seen since about 2007.

With our international meet being in Wisconsin this year, I contacted a friend I have in the Kaiser-Frazer Club to try to track down the car and invite it to our meet. Unfortunately, he has also only hit deadends.

I know this is a long shot, but does anyone happen to have information on the current whereabouts of this car?
 

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Kaiser limo

Patrick,
about 10 yrs ago I was in ST. Louis for a Buick meet driving my 60 service car. A fellow from the buick club in Minn. told me his father had just imported a kaiser flower car and hearse from S. America. If memory serves correct, there were other pro cars in the collection. There are several Buick chapters in that area of Minn. and I beleive this fellow had a pristine 28 Buick Brougham model................. Good Luck!!!!!
John Ehmer
 
Mike McDonald said:
Quite a rarity... "Henry J" would have been proud of this rig for sure! MM
Click to expand...

Hmmmmm,
You mention Henry J....my wife and I have been working for Kaiser for over 30 years....

In 2009 Kaiser had the dedication of their newest medical campus here in Roseville.....all nursing and medical employees were invited.....

Among the dignitaries was the CEO of KFH and all his cronies and the head of the Calif Nurses Union.....
They arrived in a 1950 Kaiser Limo like the one pictured.....

When asked about it,one guy said that it belonged to Kaiser and had been in storage in Boulder City Nv since the late 50's,it had been used to drive big wigs to Hoover Dam for tours...then put into storage at some point...........then in 1996/97 they brought it to Oakland headquarters and had it restored.....it now is stored SOMEWHERE in the bay area.......:)
 
James Fischer said:
Hmmmmm,
You mention Henry J....my wife and I have been working for Kaiser for over 30 years....

In 2009 Kaiser had the dedication of their newest medical campus here in Roseville.....all nursing and medical employees were invited.....

Among the dignitaries was the CEO of KFH and all his cronies and the head of the Calif Nurses Union.....
They arrived in a 1950 Kaiser Limo like the one pictured.....

When asked about it,one guy said that it belonged to Kaiser and had been in storage in Boulder City Nv since the late 50's,it had been used to drive big wigs to Hoover Dam for tours...then put into storage at some point...........then in 1996/97 they brought it to Oakland headquarters and had it restored.....it now is stored SOMEWHERE in the bay area.......:)
Click to expand...

Not to question you, but are you sure it was like the car in the photo? I ask because only two of the photographed car are known to have been built, and even the members of the Kaiser Club have been unable to find the other one.

Now I have heard stories of Henry Kaiser having a Kaiser limousine that was done in a Fleetwood 75-style. Of course too, just because someone claims something doesn't mean its true. This seems to be especially the case the more unusual the car is. Ask me for some of the nonsense I've heard about the Bayliff Packards!
 
Patrick J. Martin said:
Not to question you, but are you sure it was like the car in the photo? I ask because only two of the photographed car are known to have been built, and the even the members of the Kaiser Club have been unable to find the other one.

Now I have heard stories of Henry Kaiser having a Kaiser limousine that was done in a Fleetwood 75-style. Of course too, just because someone claims something doesn't mean its true. This seems to be especially the case the more unusual the car is. Ask me for some of the nonsense I've heard about the Bayliff Packards!
Click to expand...

Patrick,

I cannot be absolutely certain.....I am not an expert on Kaisers by any means....it may have been a differant year.....but i do know it was no older then mid 50's,might of even been earlier......
I have a friend who took pictures of it being unloaded from the auto transport company "Horseless Carriage Transport"...I know they are top of the line movers....they parked across the street in a lot and then they drove over to the dedication in the Kaiser.....If I can get a hold of him I will ask him about the pictures.....he recently moved to Washington......so it might be awhile....
I do remember it was black with a grey cloth interior......
There are lots of pictures of Kaisers business's and shipyards etc around the campus bulidings......even the cafeteria is called "Henry J's" and there are old Kaiser cars pictured.......but I have never seen that limo since.....
kind of a "phanthom" car I guess........:cool:
 
Patrick J. Martin said:
Not to question you, but are you sure it was like the car in the photo? I ask because only two of the photographed car are known to have been built, and even the members of the Kaiser Club have been unable to find the other one.

Now I have heard stories of Henry Kaiser having a Kaiser limousine that was done in a Fleetwood 75-style. Of course too, just because someone claims something doesn't mean its true. This seems to be especially the case the more unusual the car is. Ask me for some of the nonsense I've heard about the Bayliff Packards!
Click to expand...

I havent seen a series 75 style yet, but I do have an old ad of a rear load sedambulance that i can post if you want. I didnt want to hijack your thread thats why I asked.
 
Thanks John. Go ahead and post if you like, I don't mind this becoming a general discussion of Kaiser-Frazer. I know the car you're talking about though. It was the hatchback model, which if my memory serves, was called either the Kaiser Traveler or the Frazer Vegabond. I also have a copy of an ad showing the car lettered POLICE on the side while two officers are pushing a gurney into the trunk.

Below is a photo of one of the Kaiser "Fleetwood 75" limos. The car in the photo is newer than the eight door version, dating from the mid 1950s. I do not recall if the "Fleetwood 75" limos were converted by an outside builder, or if Kaiser themselves did the conversion from production line sedans, but in either case, the limos were not production cars. Its my understanding that Henry Kaiser himself had one, naturally, and that a few others were given to government officials in Argentina as, ahem, bribes for favorable terms when Kaiser was looking to move his auto production down there when the US market dried up for him.
 

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Patrick J. Martin said:
Thanks John. Go ahead and post if you like, I don't mind this becoming a general discussion of Kaiser-Frazer. I know the car you're talking about though. It was the hatchback model, which if my memory serves, was called either the Kaiser Traveler or the Frazer Vegabond. I also have a copy of an ad showing the car lettered POLICE on the side while two officers are pushing a gurney into the trunk.

Below is a photo of one of the Kaiser "Fleetwood 75" limos. The car in the photo is newer than the eight door version, dating from the mid 1950s. I do not recall if the "Fleetwood 75" limos were converted by an outside builder, or if Kaiser themselves did the conversion from production line sedans, but in either case, the limos were not production cars. Its my understanding that Henry Kaiser himself had one, naturally, and that a few others were given to government officials in Argentina as, ahem, bribes for favorable terms when Kaiser was looking to move his auto production down there when the US market dried up for him.
Click to expand...

I am surprised that GM would allow Kaiser-Fraser to use the "Fleetwood 75 Series" model brand? The one shown here looks more like what "Henry J" would be seen in than the airport limo version. MM
 
Mike, Kaiser never used the "Fleetwood 75" name, and I apologize if I gave that mistaken impression. I placed that term in quotes in my posts to try to show that it wasn't an official model name, but rather just a term I was using.

I don't know if Kaiser had any actual model name for the few limos that were built, but considering they were all custom creations not intended for actual public sale, I doubt they had one.

I use the term "Fleetwood 75-style" to describe the style limousine where the front and rear doors are next to each other with the rear seat set further back in the car, as opposed to stretch limo where the front and rear doors are pulled apart from each other. If there is a technical term for the "Fleetwood 75-style" limousine, I'd love to know what it is.
 
the term would be factory limo. every one of the car builders at some time had the 7 passenger arrangement. Kaiser had some neat stuff out. but the assembly line did not offer room for variation. so a lot of specificity cars were farmed out to other builders. caddy did a lot of them this way also
 
I'm not sure I agree that the term "factory limo" applies to a specific bodystyle. For example, my Lincoln limousine and John Ehmer's Lincoln limousine are both done in the "factory" style, but they were done by outside coachbuilders. Calling them "factory" limousines implies that Lincoln did them that way, which isn't the case.

By the same token, Excalibur themselves built limousines in the stretch style, but they were built from scratch that way by Excalibur from the ground up, so they are also factory limousines even though they don't look like it.
 
I havent seen a series 75 style yet, but I do have an old ad of a rear load sedambulance that i can post if you want. I didnt want to hijack your thread thats why I asked.

So my Buick is not a 75 Series :rolleyes::yum:

It has Caddy parts in the rear.
 

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Kaiser and GM had a very strange relationship. The families and influence on each helped the GM group. Howard "Dutch" Darrin designed for his own company and leased his designs to Duesenberg, Rolls Royce, Packard, GM and Kaiser. The later Darrin roadsters were powered by Cadillac and his design of the 55 & 56 Chevy BelAir brought GM to the forefront of post WWII design. The little dip in the side chrome is the Darrin Trademark.
 
I knew what you meany by "series 75" style, and Im curious to what the official name too. Im sure someone in the PCS has to know.
You are correct on the ad I was refering to, here it is for the ones that have never seen it.
1950s Kaiser ad.jpg
 
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