I was in North Carolina for a bit this summer, and came across a warehouse with some old abandoned vehicles rusting away outside. This guy is the remnants of a 1951 Henry J.
The Henry J was produced by the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation between 1950 and 1954. It was intended as a low-budget entry into the small car market, meant to appeal to less affluent consumers. To keep the price low, the car was designed to be extremely bare-bones, lacking a glove compartment, armrests, sun visors, and even a rear trunk lid! (Owners accessed the trunk by folding down the rear seat.)
When the prototype was introduced, a contest was held to name the car. The winner was "The Henry J," which was an amazing co-incidence given that the Chairman of Kaiser-Frazer was Henry J Kaiser. While largely forgotten today, Kaiser was once one of the most popular men in America. He was known as the "Father of Modern Shipbuilding," and was responsible for mass-producing Liberty Ships, cargo ships that supplied the war effort in the Second World War. The Kaiser Shipyards could complete a ship in four days. After the war, a poll ranked him as the foremost civilian war-hero, crediting him with having "done more to help the president win the war than any other civilian." He was a contender for Roosevelt's second Vice President, and was so popular that they made a comic book of his life! He was also the "Kaiser" in "Kaiser Permanente."
The Henry J was not one of Kaiser's successes, however. The car did not catch on with the public, and production far exceeded demand. By 1953, production of the cars had halted. Some went on to have a second life as hot rods, as seen here. Their lightweight bodies combined with a muscular engine makes them super-speedy.
Process:
REFERENCES
Kaiser Permanente - Our History: Henry J Kaiser: America's No. 1 Civilian Hero
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