Eric Minoff
Vice President, Head of Department - US
LOT 59 ¤
1951 Frazer F51 Manhattan Convertible Sedan Chassis no. F-516-B001105 Engine no. F 1050270
Sold for US$33,600 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 59¤
1951 Frazer F51 Manhattan Convertible Sedan
1951 Frazer F51 Manhattan Convertible Sedan
Chassis no. F-516-B001105
Engine no. F 1050270
Chassis no. F-516-B001105
Engine no. F 1050270
262.2ci L-Head Inline Six-Cylinder
Single 2-Barrel Carburetor
115bhp at 3,650rpm
4-Speed Hydra-Matic Automatic Transmission
Coil Spring Independent Front Suspension, Semi-Elliptical Leaf Spring Live Rear Axle
4-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes
* One of only 131 Frazer Manhattan Convertible Sedans built
* The last year for Frazer production
* Redesigned body led by "Dutch" Darrin
* Famous museum provenance from Winthrop Rockefeller's Museum of Automobiles at Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas
* Largely original and well-preserved
THE FRAZER MANHATTAN
Kaiser-Frazer built their first automobiles in 1946. Six years later the rest of the American auto industry had caught up with K-F's early innovative and refreshingly new designs with updated styling, design, and architecture and surged ahead with improved engines, transmissions and chassis.
Kaiser-Frazer needed an upgrade and got it in 1951 with new body designs by "Dutch" Darrin. Still determinedly envelope in effect, the 1951 Frazers and their slightly lower priced Kaiser counterparts were less boxy and more streamlined while still offering superior interior room.
Frazer offered only 4-door models, but the product range included a 4-door convertible sedan. That made the 1951 Frazer Manhattan a rare throwback: a well-known classic era body design that was offered nowhere else until Ford resurrected the design to long-lasting effect with the 1961 Lincoln-Continental convertible.
1951 marked the end of production for the Frazer marque although Kaiser production continued through 1955.
THE CAR OFFERED
In 1951, Frazer struggled to sell enough cars to survive even as its more affordable Kaiser counterpart built 145,031 units. Frazer production was 10,2141 units in 1951 of which only some 131 were the Manhattan convertible sedan. Unlike most convertible sedans of the prewar era the Frazer Manhattan had glass in the center posts for better visibility and a more open, airy look when the top was raised. The six-cylinder engine now had a 2-barrel Carter carburetor and 115bhp at 3,650rpm. Furthermore, Frazer now offered General Motors' 4-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission.
This 1951 Frazer Manhattan Convertible Sedan was acquired by the Harrah's Automobile Collection in 1975 from Winthrop Rockefeller's Museum of Automobiles at Petit Jean Mountain in Arkansas. Former Arkansas governor Rockefeller had recently died, and the entire Petit Jean collection had been bought by Bill Harrah. It is equipped with the GM Hydra-Matic automatic transmission, power windows, wheel covers, whitewall tires, a pushbutton radio and heater. The large cloth top is power operated.
The exterior appears to have been repainted, but the black leather upholstery is likely original, with tears and cracks. The top is complete.
1951 was the final year for Frazer production This is a rare and unusual automobile from an historically important manufacturer that will attract a steady stream of onlookers and favorable comments, not only for its rarity but also for its preservation and for the contribution of one of America's best designers, Howard "Dutch" Darrin.
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