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1951 Kaiser Deluxe Series K512

The all-new styling introduced for 1951 Kaiser vehicles would remain until the company's demise in 1955. The styling revisions were courtesy of Howard Dutch Darrin and incorporated a unique widow peak to the top of the windshield, along with what was commonly referred to as a Darrin Dip in the rear quarter panel. Carlton Spencer, an editor for House Beautiful, was hired as an in-house consultant to develop new color schemes and materials for Kaiser and Frazer automobiles, including various special editions designed to attract customers into showrooms. One such 'special edition' was the Dragon, and during its four-month production lifespan, a total of 1,622 were built.

The 'Dragon' was produced in three distinct, separate batches, each of which had distinctively different design features. The early examples (known as the 'First Batch') had painted roofs, sometimes in contrasting shades. The interior was known as the Dragon skin since they were built from a special, synthetic alligator-textured vinyl. The 'second series' Dragons had a padded top, as did the third series. Second series examples were offered in Arena yellow with black dinosaur vinyl trim, Mariner gray with Scarlet dinosaur vinyl trim, and Cape Verde green with matching dinosaur vinyl fabrics. The yellow exterior examples were known as the 'Golden Dragons,' the Mariner gray was the 'Silver Dragons,' and the green was known as the 'Emerald Dragons.' The 'third series' was offered solely in Tropical green with straw-colored interiors. These were known as the 'Jade Dragons.' To help reduce the cost of the third series cars, the armest was not offered as standard equipment.

The 'first series' was offered through February 6, 1951, and the 'third series' was offered after April 27, 1951.

The Kaiser Dragons were equipped with white sidewall tires and Hydra-Matic transmissions.

1951 Kaiser Deluxe Series K512 photo
Club Coupe
Chassis #: K512050900
View info and history
Auction entries : 1
1949 Kaisers were carried over into the 1950 model year, with the all-new '1951 Kaisers' introduced in February of 1950. Production of the 1951 Kaiser models lasted from the spring of 1950 through the close of 1951.

Mechanical Specification
The 1951 Kaiser model lineup included the lower-priced Special and the Deluxe. Both models rested on a 118.5-inch wheelbase platform, with the Special slightly shorter at 208.5 inches in length, compared to the Deluxe's 210-inch length. An L-head inline-6 cylinder, 226.2 cubic-ich engine with 7.3:1 compression, solid valve lifters, four main bearings, and a two-barrel carburetor delivered 115 horsepower at 3,650. This was Kaiser's only engine and one of its Achilles' Heels as most other Michigan automakers added a V8 to their arsenal.

A three-speed manual column-mounted transmission was standard, and an overdrive was offered for an additional $98. The four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission listed at $162.

Body Styles
Both the Special and Deluxe offered a two- and four-door sedan, and a two- and four-passenger Traveler Utility sedan. The Kaiser Special had a business coupe and the Deluxe Series offered a club coupe. The two-door club coupe had seating for six passengers while the Business coupe had seating for three. Prices began in the low-$2,000s for the Special, and its Deluxe counterparts were approximately $100 higher.

Styling
The styling of the 1951 Kaiser was modern and curvaceous, with clean lines and a low stance. The previous bull-nosed front design was replaced with a wider hood with a prominent crease and flanked on either side by front fender-mounted round headlights. Below the hood was the grille comprised of two horizontal bars, with the top bar traversing the entire width of the body and wrapping around the sides, reaching nearly to the front wheel opening. The lower bar was shorter, ending at the extremities of the radiator opening. Below the grille were wraparound bumpers.

1951 Kaiser Deluxe Series K512 photo
Club Coupe
Chassis #: K512050900
View info and history
Auction entries : 1
The windshield with the 'Darrin Dip' was the largest windshield in the automobile industry at the time.

This styling theme was called the 'Anatomic Design' since it fit the anatomy of the human body, with its higher roofline offering greater headroom.

Amenities and Features
Among the list of standard amenities included safety locks on rear doors, Direct-View instrumentation cluster, Tuck-Away spare tire well, an insulated body, Hotchkiss drive air-cooled clutch, large diameter driveshaft, and rubber body mountings.

1951 Kaiser Deluxe Series K512 photo
Club Coupe
Chassis #: K512050900
View info and history
Auction entries : 1
The Kaiser Deluxe models added a wide strip of chrome around the bottom of the body, bumper end wing guards, stainless steel belt moldings, and additional brightwork around the windows. The interiors were comfortable and well appointed with a deluxe padded vinyl dashboard, rear seat ashtrays, foam rubber seat cushions, cotton headliner with wool facing, and front compartment carpeting. Additionally, they had a Tenite plastic Deluxe steering wheel with horn-blowing ring.

The interiors of the Deluxe included Beaumont, Stockholm, or Normandie clothes. The Traveler body styles were offered in pleated, patterned vinyl. Leather options were also available.

Kaiser Deluxe (Series K512) Pricing and Production
The most popular body style was the four-door sedan priced at $2,330 with 56,723 examples built. A total of 8,888 examples were the two-door sedan ($2,275), 4,606 were club coupes ($2,300), and 984 were the four-door Traveler ($2,380). The most exclusive body style was the two-door Traveler ($2380) with 367 examples built.

1951 Kaiser Deluxe Series K512 photo
Club Coupe
Chassis #: K512050900
View info and history
Auction entries : 1
The 1952 Kaisers received new names, with the lower-price models referred to as the Virginian Special while the better-equipped models were dubbed the Virginian Deluxe. On March 14, 1952, Kaiser added two new models that were very similar to the other 'Virginian' but with additional features and higher prices. The Kaiser Deluxe was positioned above the Virginian Deluxe in Kaiser's pricing scheme, with the top-of-the-line model being the Manhattan.


by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2023

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1951 Deluxe Series K512
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1951 Kaiser Deluxe Series K512 Price Range: $2,280 - $2,385

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