The forgotten pioneering achievement - Kaiser with tailgate
01/08/2014
Long before the VW Golf (1974), but also before the Autobianchi Primula (1964), Renault R16 (1965) and MG B GT (1965), there were series-produced cars with a tailgate in the USA. No, not station wagons, but hatchbacks or notchbacks with large doors and folding rear seats.
And which company was responsible for this? Kaiser-Frazer was the name of the innovative American manufacturer, the models were called "Traveler" and they were available from the late 1940s, 15 years before the European competition.
And they were also marketed attractively, as the factory photos of the time prove.
Whether transporting sports equipment or toys, a bale of hay or stand utensils, the Kaiser Traveler mastered the task. Marvelous!
A comprehensive report on the pioneering Kaiser Deluxefrom 1951, which was of course also available as a Traveler, was recently published. And of course there are also some pictures of different Traveler variantsin the Zwischengas picture archive.
