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Kaiser Henry J - the American Volkswagen without Fortüne

Name: Kaiser Henry J 1950
Brand: Kaiser

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Created on August 28, 2020

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Archiv

Kaiser Henry J Corsair DeLuxe (1952) - elegantly presented

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - available for just over USD 1200

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - the pride of the whole family

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - available with four and six-cylinder engines

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - the four-cylinder from Willys

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - the lubrication plan shows the chassis from below

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - Explanation of the controls

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - six-cylinder version in Bern

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - with tail fins and small tail lights

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - version still without access to the trunk from the outside

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - View of the trunk with spare wheel, now accessible from the outside

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - the first models still had to do without the trunk access from the outside, but Kaiser saved 50 dollars on this

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - Steering wheel gearshift for the three-speed gearbox

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - two-part front bench seat

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - View inside the DeLuxe version

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - View of the interior of the DeLuxe version

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - front design of the early versions

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - Unlocking the hood

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - compact and front-mounted in-line six-cylinder in the DeLuxe

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - the Supersonic engine of the DeLuxe

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - View of the front independent suspension

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - the inline six-cylinder from Willlys was called Supersonic at Kaiser

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - A look under the hood of the six-cylinder version

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - the in-line six-cylinder from the Willlys

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - now with trunk accessible from the outside

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - chrome with signs of wear on the test car

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Kaiser Henry J Corsair DeLuxe (1952) - the new version, seen for the first time at the 1952 Turin Motor Show

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - how the new compact car is presented

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Kaiser Henry J Corsair DeLuxe (1952) - the model-maintained six-cylinder version

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Kaiser Henry J (1951) - how he was presented at the beginning of 1950

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Kaiser Henry J Corsair DeLuxe (1952) - subtle design adjustments and a name suffix for the 1952 model year

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Kaiser Henry J Corsair DeLuxe (1952) - with redesigned radiator grille and modified rear end

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Kaiser Henry J (1952) - at the Geneva Motor Show 1952

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Kaiser Henry J (1952) - Cabriolet with special German bodywork, shown at the 1952 Brussels Motor Show

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Kaiser Henry J Worblaufen (1952) - feudal interior of the convertible built by Worblaufen on behalf of Kaiser

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Kaiser Henry J (1953) - View into the cockpit

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Kaiser Henry J (1953) - new covers for the 1953 model year

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Kaiser Henry J Corsair DeLuxe (1953) - as a model-maintained two-door model

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Allstate (1952) - the department store version of the Kaiser Henry J

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Allstate (1952) - Sears version practically identical to the Henry J

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Allstate (1952) - View of the interior of the Sears department store version

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Summary

As cars in the USA became bigger and bigger after the war, one man believed in the compact car for the people: Henry J. Kaiser. Many innovative ideas were tried out, but in the end a relatively traditionally designed compact saloon was built. It was to be the successor to the Ford Model T. But the Henry J came at the wrong time. This article tells the story of the Kaiser Henry J and shows the car in historical pictures and in the sales literature of the time as well as in the clearly laid out manual.

This article contains the following chapters

The goal: an innovative compact car
The nameless small car
Christened by a housewife
With four and six-cylinder engines
Lots of interior space for little money
Elegant, durable, reliable, economical
Good driving performance
Evolution
New sales ideas
Early end
Comparison of Henry J with its direct/indirect competitors

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The American industrialist Henry J. Kaiser had bold ideas and plans. He believed that the success story of the Ford Model T could be repeated if a simple yet agile compact car could be brought to market instead of large saloons with lots of mass and equipment. From 1945, when Kaiser immediately founded the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation with Joseph Frazer after the war and shortly afterwards bought the huge "Willow Run" factory, research into innovative vehicle concepts began. However, the company's own prototypes with front-wheel drive came to nothing, as did the study of the Hotchkiss Grégoire and the Cemsa, both of which were advanced designs from Europe.

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