Kaiser Henry J History

Named after company chairman Henry J. Kaiser, the Henry J was an early attempt at an affordable American compact, launched for the 1951 model year (introduced in 1950) on a short wheelbase with stripped-down, low-cost construction — the basic version even had fixed rear side windows and, at first, no exterior trunk lid.

Buyers could choose a 134-cubic-inch four-cylinder (68 hp) or a 161-cubic-inch L-head six (80 hp). The Henry J anticipated the compact-car wave by several years but never found enough buyers, and it was discontinued after 1954. Its most unusual footnote: from 1952 a rebadged version was sold through Sears, Roebuck stores as the Allstate — one of the very few cars ever marketed by a US department store.