Frazer-Nash

GB, 1924 – 1960

(1) Frazer Nash Ltd, Kingston on Thames, Surrey, 1924 – 1925

(2) William G. Thomas & Frazer Nash Ltd, Kingston on Thames, Surrey, 1925 – 1926

(3) A.F.N. Ltd, Isleworth, Middlesex, 1926 – 1960

After Captain A. Frazer Nash left GN Ltd, the company he had helped to found, he at first made orthodox family Frazer Nash cars with shaft drive and water-cooled 4-cylinder engines of Deemster extraction. However, only a handful of light cars were made before Frazer Nash reverted to type. His new Frazer Nash car of 1924 was based largely on the GN, retaining its dog-clutch gear-change, separate chains for each of the three forward speeds, solid rear axle, hard quarter-elliptic suspension and high ratio steering. After the Plus-Power engine, Frazer Nash adopted the sv water-cooled 4-cylinder 1½-litre Anzani unit, giving 40bhp. Thus the GN’s combination of simplicity, strength, modest price, low weight and high powere were combined in a still brisker sporting machine. The Frazer Nash, together with the Aston-Martin, was Britain’s nearest answer to importe sports cars in the Bugatti Brescia class. It was so popular that the Frazer Nash remained in production, basically unchanged for 15 years, even though clutches and chain drive had been outmoded when the Frazer Nash was first introduced.

The principal alternations were to the power unit. A Meadows engine of the same size, but with overhead valves, and giving 50bhp, supplemented and then replaced the Anzani from 1929 and four forward speeds were provided on the Frazer Nash. Alternatively available from 1934 was the 1½-litre single ohc Frazer Nash engine, known as the Gough after its designer. This unit normally delivered 60bhp, but was also available supercharged in the Frazer Nash Shelsley or Frazer Nash TT replica chassis which had cantilever front springs. The Frazer Nash model names applied to the chassis, which could be fitted with any engine. Thus some Frazer Nash Shelsleys were equipped with the twin ohc 1.675cc 6-cylinder Blackburne, which was a smoother, more flexible unit.

It was clear that such a fundamentally primitive design could not last for ever, however efficient. H.J. Aldington, who had gained control of AFN Ltd in 1929, sought an alternative by importing the German BMW from 1934 – the BMW Type 319 engine was used in the chain-driven Frazer Nash chassis. The last Frazer Nash of the old pattern was made in 1939, but the Frazer Nash name re-appeared 8 years later attached to a thoroughly up-to-date car. Its power unit was developed jointly by AFN and Bristol, using the pre-war BMW Type 328 engine modified for higher output. In the Frazer Nash the 2-litre cross-push-rod operated ohv unit developed from 75 to 135bhp, depending on the stage of tune required. It was installed in a tubular chassis with transverse leaf independent front suspension and torsion bar rear suspension. There was a normal synchromesh gearbox and live axle. The Frazer Nash car was light – the chassis weighed 1.176lb – and held the road extremely well. The Frazer Nash High Speed Model of 1948 was developed into the Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica which gained a 3rd place in that race in 1949, as well as being the only British car to win the Targa Florio, in 1951. From 1953 a De Dion-type rear axle was used in some Frazer Nash cars, including the Frazer Nash Competition Model. When BMW began making a 2.6-litre V8 engine, this was put in the Frazer Nash Competition Model and in a new two-seater coupé, the Frazer Nash Continental. This was very expensive at £3.751. Only the BMW unit was available from 1957, increased to 3.2-litres in 1959. This was the last year at which Frazer Nash cars were seen at the Earls Court Motor Show and production of Frazer Nash ceased soon after that.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN

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Kaiser

US, 1946 – 1954

(1) Kaiser-Frazer Corporation, Willow Run, Mich., 1946 – 1953

(2) Kaiser-Willys Sales Corp, Toledo, Ohio, 1954

The Kaiser car was the most successful post-war ‘invasion’ of the American automobile industry, the creation of a combine headed by shipbuilder Henry J. Kaiser and Jospeh W. Frazer of Graham-Paige. Howard Darrin styled the original prototype Kaiser car, but it was much revised by KF Styling under Robert Cadwallader. Frazer had rented, and KF later bought, the huge Willow Run plant built by Henry Ford for wartime manufacture of the B24 Liberator bomber. Early plans called for a low-medium-priced Kaiser car and a more expensive ‘custom’ Frazer. The Kaiser car prototype shown to the public in 1946 displayed unit construction, torsion-bar suspension and front-wheel drive, and its (and Frazer’s) new straight-through side styling set a trend on Kaiser cars that all the industry would follow. Complications and costs precluded these mechanical ideas from the production Kaiser Special, however, which had conventional box-section frame, hypoid rear drive and coil-spring independent rear suspension. The engine of the Kaiser car was an improvement on the pre-World War 2 Continental design, a sv 6-cylinder 3.7-litre unit developing 100bhp. This Kaiser car was gradually stepped up to 112, 118 and finally 140bhp in the supercharged Kaiser Manhattan for 1954 – 1955. But try as they might, the Kaiser car company could not permanently maintain their position, though they ranked eighth and built about 140.000 Kaiser cars during both 1947 and 1948, to lead all the other American independents including Studebaker, Hudson and Nash.

The Kaiser car is remembered for its novel ideas and innovations. Among these, along with the first through-fenderline for 1947, were the Kaiser Traveler and Kaiser Vagabond utility models that looked like sedans but opened up at the rear like station wagons, and these Kaiser cars had large flat beds created by drop-down seats; one of the first hardtops in the 1949 4-door Kaiser Virginian; the first (with Frazer) post-war 4-door convertible; the Kaiser Dragon line of luxuriously trimmed, padded-top sedans of 1951 – 1953; and of course the brilliant 1954 – 1955 line of Kaiser Manhattans and Kaiser Specials with concave grille designed by A.B. Grisinger and ‘safety-glo’ tail lights, styled by Herbert Weissinger, extending up along the rear fenders, along with Darrin’s novel sliding-door Kaiser Darrin roadster. The 1951 – 1955 ‘anatomic design’ Kaiser car was among the most inspired US sedan designs of the period.

Altogether Kaiser-Frazer produced over 747.000 cars and Kaiser-Willys combined for 25.000 more in 1954 – 1955. Of these, about 500.000 or more were Kaiser cars. The Kaiser car make was phased out in 1955, when only 260 Kaiser car left-overs were sold as 1955 models and 1.006 Manhattans were exported to Argentina, where they were soon to be manufactured as the ‘Kaiser Carabela’ from 1958 to 1962.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; HON, RML

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@postwarclassic.com