Kaiser?

1949 Kaiser Professional Cars

I'd love to see pictures of one if one still exists!! While in High School in the 60's, I would read old Popular Mechanics magazines in the Reference Library. In one was an article about the proposed 1949 Kaiser Traveler/Vagabond Utility Car that was designed for Funeral Service. These cars were conventional sedans with a double door hatchback cut into the rear section and a fold down rear seat. Loading was from the rear only and when closed they looked like a regular 4dr sedan. Many years later I worked with an Engineer at 3M and we were talking about old cars. He mentioned that while he was going to College he worked as a Night Attendent at a funeral home who had one of these. He said they were quite the car and easy to work out of.

The Traveler was the economical model with the leather-upholstered model being the Vagabond.
 
The January, 2010 issue of Hemmings "Classic Car" has a feature article on this very car! In 1949-1950, Kaiser made 19,954 "Traveler" models and 4,476 "Vagabond" models. The back area had 83 feet of cargo space. There's even a Kaiser-Frazer Owners Club International with 2,000 members.
 
I'm friends with a gentleman who is very active in the Kaiser-Frazer Club, and since he knows of my interest in professional cars, passes along any information he comes across regarding K-F pro cars.

I forget what year he said it was, and he has no idea about the coachbuilder, but he said one Kaiser landau hearse was known to have been built. He also said that about 10 years ago, a K-F club member actually found the remains of it somewhere in the northeast if I remember correctly, but it is too far gone to have any hope left for it.

He also said that Armbruster built two Kaiser eight-door airport limos, one of which is currently owned by a collector in Wisconsin, in a slightly customized form. He said that given the Kaiser's six-sylinder power plant, the airport limos turned out to be a less than successful design.

He also has said that a K-F club member in Minnesota has a matching pair of Kaiser hearse and flower car from South America, in the (by our standards) highly bizarre South American style. He said that a couple years ago, he advertised them for sale in the K-F club magazine as a pair for $55,000, got no takers, and hasn't heard of the cars since.
 
I'm happy to report that the two cars in Minnesota still exist. I spoke with the gentleman who owns them. They're put away for the winter now, but it sounds like I'll be able to see & photograph them in the spring. :)
 
Here's an ad for a '49 Kaiser Traveller/Vagabond ambulance. The "hatchback sedan" was standard for the Kaisers, not a modification.

(I also find it funny that it's very similar to the text of the '55 Studebaker Ambulet ads.)
 

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Do these count? :D

From the following website:
www.oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Argentina/

1958_Kaiser_Carabela-aug30a.jpg


1958_Kaiser_Carabela-aug30b.jpg
 
Decatur, IL had one...........

A local manufacturer had a Kaiser ambulance back in 1949.........I'll try to post the photo of it that was in the local paper.......
 
Adam, sometime you crack me up, You are like the rain man on pictures and info" Not ment in a bad way at all. Thanks for the pictures and info keep it up!:specool:
 
Adam, sometime you crack me up, You are like the rain man on pictures and info" Not ment in a bad way at all. Thanks for the pictures and info keep it up!:specool:

Thanks, I think... :yankchain:

I wish I knew as much as some of the others on here though. I love reading about these things, listening to you guys, and collecting pictures, because it's the closest way I can get the experience many of you had. I wasn't old enought to drive until 1992 (long after they stopped building interesting cars), and I've never worked in the funeral or EMS businesses, so I feel like I missed out...

I guess being a photoholic is my way of living in the decades I probably should have been born in :D
 
Missed out

Adam,
There are several of us that did not work in EMS or the funeral business. We still enjoy the cars. And like you, some of us read just about everythng car we can get in our hands. We appreciate your leads and pictures.
Mike
61 M-M
 
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