Frazer Manhattan History
Frazer's top luxury line (1947–1951) — richer trim over the standard sedan, and the source of the rare 1951 four-door convertible.
Photo: “1949 Frazer Manhattan — Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, CA” by Daderot / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9.
History
The Frazer Manhattan was introduced on March 23, 1947, as the marque's flagship — a more lavishly trimmed version of the standard Frazer sold at roughly a $500 premium, with upgraded leather-and-fabric interiors. It gave Kaiser-Frazer a genuine near-luxury offering to set against the likes of Buick and the lower Packards.
The Manhattan name became attached to Frazer's most memorable car: the 1951 four-door convertible. A handsome, full-width drop-top built from the heavily restyled 1951 bodies, it was effectively the last American four-door convertible until the 1961 Lincoln Continental revived the format. It was a costly, low-volume halo car — only about 131 of the 1951 Manhattan convertibles were built.
As the most expensive Frazer, the Manhattan shared the line's Continental L-head six and the brand's fate: when Joseph Frazer left the company and management chose to focus on Kaiser, the Manhattan ended with the rest of the marque after the 1951 model year.
Generations
First and only generation · Frazer Manhattan (1947–1951)
Photo: “1949 Frazer Manhattan — Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, CA” by Daderot / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Frazer's flagship line across the marque's full 1947–1951 run — richer trim over the standard sedan on the shared 123.5-inch Kaiser-Frazer chassis.
1949 Photo: “1949 Frazer Manhattan — Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, CA” by Daderot / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Body styles
- Sedan
- Convertible
Notable special editions & performance variants
Manhattan four-door convertible
A rare full-size four-door convertible sedan; the 1951 car is often cited as the last American four-door convertible before the 1961 Lincoln Continental. About 131 of the 1951 convertibles were built.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
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