Edgar Kaiser's Henry J
In November 1998, this car was discovered in a warehouse in Seattle, WA.
When Erv found the car, he looked inside the glove box and found the registration. The owner listed on the registration was "Kaiser, Edgar F."
He asked the building caretaker about the car and was told it belonged to the Kaiser family and had been sitting there since the mid 1970s. Contact was made with Edgar Kaiser Jr., Henry J Kaiser's grandson, and it was learned that this car was originally built for, and presented to, Edgar Kaiser Sr. (Henry J. Kaiser's son) who had taken over as Vice President of Kaiser-Frazer Motor Co. after Joseph Frazer's departure in 1950.
Shortly after the car was found, there was an article about this car in the Volume 35, Number 3 issue (1999) of the Kaiser-Frazer Owner's Club quarterly magazine, .
According to that article, "...a 1951 Henry J was taken off the line, given some upgrades, and presented to Edgar Kaiser."
For many years, Kaiser-Frazer Owner's Club member Bud Flanik has owned this awesome 1953 Henry J (photo below) which was the personal car of Henry J. Kaiser himself.
This car is done in a yellow color with a black racing stripe. It features a custom black interior and Keystone wheels.
This car has been displayed at KF club meets and events many times and most Kaiser-Frazer Owner's club members are familiar with the car.
According to that same article in the quarterly magazine, Mr. Flanik's car was restored for Henry J. Kaiser. The article states "A 1953 model was acquired and restored by Kaiser Experimental Engineering in 1966. It was then shipped to Hawaii and presented to Henry J. Kaiser as a Christmas gift." The article further states that Edgar's car was actually the inspiration for this car that Mr. Flanik now owns.
A year after that story appeared in the KFOC Quarterly magazine, the photo below was published in the Volume 36, Number 3 (2000) issue of the Kaiser-Frazer Owner's Club Quarterly. It was featured in an article on KF photographer Russ Spaulding who took the photo below:
The article says "Mr. Henry J's Henry J... this is the car now owned by Bud Flanik." But, this Russ Spaulding photo is actually the car that was built for Edgar Kaiser. The caption in that article says "...Note date tag on plate is 1966..." If you look closely, (not sure how well you can see it in this web version) the license plate says 1963 on it. When I examine this photo with a magnifying glass, it reveals a blue 1966 sticker on the plate as well, so the photo was most likely taken in 1966. With this in mind, and based on the information in the 1999 KFOC article, it would make sense to conclude that this photo is of the car that was presented to Henry J. Kaiser in 1966. But let's examine the photo further. There is proof that this photo is actually the car that was put together for Edgar Kaiser. Indicators - Henry J. Kaiser's car has "Henry J" scripts on the front fenders (can be seen in the photo of Mr. Flanik's car above) - this one says Corsair Deluxe on the fenders. Also, Mr. Flanik's car has never been repainted and it does not have the carousel stencil on the door as this one did at the time the photo was taken. When the late Allen Hogle wrote the article in the KFOC Quarterly, he asked Edgar Kaiser Jr. about the carousel. Edgar Jr. informed him that it was stenciled onto all of his father's vehicles. The one built for Henry J. Kaiser does not have it. Another indicator, and it is not easy to see in the photo, is that Edgar's car has rear window wing vents in it which are very rare on a Henry J (you can see the one on the passenger side if you look through the driver's side front windshield in the photo). In the photo of Henry J Kaiser's car, it clearly does not have the rear window wing vents. Henry J. Kaiser's car has the full chrome trim around the windshield but as you can see in the Spaulding photo, Edgar's car has only the single stainless steel bar down the center of the windshield which was typical of the four cylinder models (both Edgar's and Henry J Kaiser's cars are six cylinder models). The Spaulding photo also reveals a 1953 style hood ornament with a 1951 style plastic tip on it. The photo of Henry J. Kaiser's car shows that it has a 1953 hood ornament with a 1953 style plastic tip (has the three rocket fins). Another difference is Edgar's car has three thin white wall stripes on each tire (you can only see two in the photo). Mr. Flanik's car has one solid white wall stripe on each tire. Finally, see photo below of Henry J. Kaiser's Henry J. The radio antenna is mounted on the passenger side. The Spaulding photo above shows it on the driver's side. After acquiring the car, I looked in the ashtray and found a key chain which is inscribed "Yellow Henry J EFK license no. SJA438." EFK meaning Edgar F. Kaiser and the license number on the key chain matches the license number in the photo (the car had no plates on it when we took delivery) proof that the car is actually Edgar Kaiser's car.
This page is in no way intended to degrade or exalt either car. Both are special and have very interesting histories which make either one highly desirable. The purpose is simply to get the information out. To all but the most seasoned Henry J enthusiasts, the two cars were built as virtual look-alikes. It is also true that for many years, no one in the Kaiser Frazer Owner's Club even knew the other car (Edgar's) existed so it made sense to conclude the Spaulding photo was the car built for Henry J. Kaiser. I should add that the color version of the photo was supplied to us by Russ Spaulding himself. Unfortunately, Mr. Spaulding is unable to recall exactly when and where this photo was taken.
Now... to add to the confusion, there is a THIRD Henry J with a Kaiser family connection! The one pictured below has been owned for years by Blanche Mericle who proudly displays this car -
Notice the sign in the window reads "Rebuilt... ...for Edgar Kaiser." This car is a 1952 model and according to a phone conversation we had with Blanche, this car was rebuilt for Edgar Kaiser in 1967 (perhaps at the same time the other one was???) but Mr. Kaiser never took possession of it. Notice it too is the same yellow and features the same Keystone wheels the other two sport.
In November 2004, we acquired the original one that was built for Edgar Kaiser. It was purchased from Edgar Kaiser Jr. This car is a 1951 (tags read K514), however, it has ALL the features of a 1953 Henry J. Perhaps the next years models had been designed and KF had the parts available to assemble it, however, there is no way to be sure. All we have to go on are some statements in that article in the KFOC Quarterly from 1999 which states "a 1951 Henry J was taken off the line, given some upgrades, and presented to Edgar Kaiser." As mentioned previous, it was eventually repainted and when it was the carousel and racing stripe were removed. As you can see in the photos below, taken January 2005, all other features remain intact -
The photo below was taken at Kaiser Frazer Owner's Club National Convention in Flagstaff, Arizona June 29, 2005
Below, another shot at home
Other items of interest regarding this car:
The inside visors have chrome hangers - not standard on any Henry J
The backseat ashtrays are chrome - not standard on any Henry J
Two chrome strips on the door panels - many of the fancier HJ trim codes have one strip on the door panel but not two
Chrome strips on rear seat side panels.
All tinted glass, including the rear windshield which is the only curved piece on a Henry J.
Engine is painted the same yellow the car is.
The paint code is 999, factory special
The trim code is 888, factory special
Tagged and titled a 1951 but has all features of a 1953.
Has ALL factory accessories available on the Henry J with the exception of backup lights.
All black vinyl interior, including the headliner, visors, carpet, package shelf and dash cover.
Runs and drives great! Handles exceptionally well with the larger wheels and tires on it.