Kaiser and Frazer cars on display today and tomorrow, national convention at Olympia Hotel

You don’t have to be a car guy to appreciate the beauty and innovative features of the Kaiser and Frazer automobiles from 1947 to 1955.

And you don’t have to travel far, either, as there are nearly two dozen on display tonight and tomorrow at the Olympia Hotel at Capitol Lake. They’re here as part of the 65^th National Convention of the Kaiser Frazer Owners Club International (KFOCI) held in Olympia for the first time.  Judging and awards are set to happen tomorrow afternoon and the public is invited to participate.  

The cars are named for Henry J. Kaiser and Joseph Frazer who partnered up in 1945 to build safe and upscale cars. Some models included advanced features such as front-wheel drive, padded dashboards, counterbalanced trunk lid hinges and wraparound taillamps. The Kaiser Darrin featured a fiberglass body before Chevrolet released the Corvette. The Darrin’s doors slid forward into the front fender like a pocket door.

It wouldn’t be right to simply compare Henry J. Kaiser with Elon Musk, other than to say that Kaiser ran very successful businesses, had the funds to indulge his fascination with cars and decided to launch a car company. Kaiser is widely credited as having helped the United States to win World War II and was involved in a range of charitable efforts, including some in healthcare.

Kaiser Permanente members: Yes

If you’re wondering if there’s a relationship between the marque and your managed healthcare organization, the answer is yes. The industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, who started his first company in 1906 in Washington state, funded what became the first of several related healthcare related clinics and hospitals in 1933.

Some 75 members of the KFOCI are visiting Olympia this week, plus or minus a few who live nearby. The annual convention moves around the country, rotating between the east coast, midwest and west.

Jim Koch ("coke," get it?) shows off the original spare tire that hides under the carpeted trunk of his 1952 Kaiser Manhattan.

Members come from as far away as Texas and Arizona. Some have been attending this convention for years. Others, such as Jim Koch (pronounced like “Coke”), of Eugene, Oregon, bought his two-tone green 1952 Kaiser Manhattan just last year and is a newbie.

The club has about 750 members, most in the United States.

Joseph Frazer was a great-grandson of George Washington, the same guy whose image appears on our state flag, according to Larry Barker, of Peoria, Arizona, who is the president of the KFOCI. Barker himself owns three dozen Kaiser cars and operates The Kaiser Store, which specializes in parts for Kaiser and Frazer model cars. 

Barker is a walking encyclopedia about Kaiser and Frazer, the companies and cars they built and how to keep the cars roadworthy. He came about his habit honestly: His parents were among the founders of the KFOCI; his 87-year-old mother is the last living charter member.

How to get a Kaiser

Values vary from a few hundred dollars for a project car to a quarter million for a Darrin in mint condition.  To get started, “you can buy a nice a nice driving car for around $10,000,” Barker said, explaining that these cars rarely come up for auction because few people know what they are.

Membership in the KFOCI is $50 per year and offers connections to all club members as well as classified ads for cars and parts. 

If you miss this week’s Kaiser Frazer convention and want to see a few, Barker says there’s a 1953 Kaiser Dragon and a Darrin, too, at LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma.