The Kaiser-Frazer Corporation no longer exists, but somehow a lone prototype for one of its most memorable cars, the 1951-1954 Henry J, managed to survive. Here’s the tale of the one-of-a-kind 1948 AMP.
Right next door to the fabulous Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana, there’s a less glamorous but equally fascinating museum known as NATMUS—the National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States. Currently tucked away in a corner of the basement at NATMUS, a former Auburn factory, is a vaguely familiar-looking but unique automobile, the 1948 AMP. This curious little artifact served as a prototype for a distinctive but ultimately unsuccessful Kaiser-Frazer product, the compact Henry J of 1951 through 1954.
The story of the AMP prototype begins just after World War II at American Metal Products, AMP for short, a major Detroit auto supplier founded in 1917 by Michigan industrialist Frederick Matthaei. University of Michigan alumni will instantly recognize Fred Matthaei as one of the school’s most beloved benefactors, while his former company continues today as the giant Lear Corporation.
Like many in the industry, American Metal could envision a potential postwar boom in compact economy cars and decided to explore the possibilities. Lacking the experience to build a complete experimental vehicle from scratch, AMP contracted with Haberstump-Harris, a small but capable Detroit engineering firm that specialized in skunkworks-type projects for the automakers. Haberstump-Harris was led by Alfred Haberstump, one more of the Motor City’s many unsung engineering minds with numerous patents and innovations to his credit.
Along with the complete prototype, NATMUS also has on display a surviving bare chassis, allowing us a clear look at the AMP’s underpinnings (above). Unlike the eventual production Henry J, which used four and six-cylinder engines supplied by Willys-Overland, the AMP is powered by a Continental F-162 four-cylinder industrial engine, displacing 162 cubic inches and typically rated at around 60 horsepower. Wheelbase is a nice, round 100 inches, same as the production job.
Since AMP used round steel tubing extensively in its manufacturing, the prototype’s ladder frame was round tube as well, although the production Henry J employed a more traditional channel frame. Otherwise, the AMP is assembled from conventional Motor City hardware of the period, including a Warner three-speed transmission, Spicer rear axle, and Bendix hydraulic drum brakes. One novel feature on the colorful display chassis that caught our eye: monoleaf rear springs, which wouldn’t be found on an American production car until 1962 on the Chevy II.
Once the prototype was completed and evaluated, American Metal Products decided not to proceed further with the project, and the story could have ended right there if not for Henry J. Kaiser, founder and CEO of Kaiser-Frazer. A struggling newcomer to the major leagues in automaking and chronically under-capitalized, Kaiser-Frazer was romancing the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, backed by Uncle Sam, for $44 million in development loans. To nail down the deal, K-F pledged to use portions of the funding to produce a low-priced “working man’s car,” but with no time or budget to develop a vehicle from the drawing board, the company instead acquired the AMP prototype straight off the shelf. Once the government funds were in hand, $12 million was devoted to the Henry J program and the vehicle was sent to production—with Henry J’s own name on the badges.
When Kaiser-Frazer was finished with the AMP prototype, it eventually ended up back with Fred Matthaei somehow, and for many years it was stored in a barn at the family farm near Ann Arbor (circa 1960 photo above). The American Metal Products founder passed away in 1973, and at some point the car was donated to the Auburn museum authorities. Unfortunately, the AMP was severely damaged in a storage building fire along the way, but Kaiser-Frazer collector Tom Wilson salvaged and restored the remains so that we can view the car today.
With proper development and snazzier styling, including some Kaiser-Frazer design cues, the Henry J production car (below) was unveiled at the 1950 Chicago Auto Show and officially went on sale on September 28. Sales were fairly brisk to start at around 82,000 units in MY ’51, but then plunged to less than half that volume in ’52 as the initial demand simply evaporated. Critics blame the excessively low price target (less than $1,500) which forced severe cuts in trim quality and made the car look cheap and flimsy compared to the Nash Rambler, its chief competitor. The 1954 model year would be the last for the Henry J.
Clearly , some Americans weren’t opposed to frugal interiors, equipment and styling as they made the Beetle a huge success. And Volkswagen was no more a major manufacturer than Kaiser. There is a cultural difference in the people who gravitate toward imports and it has less to do with the product than how it is perceived.
I might have bought the Henry J but a Morris Oxford is sexier than that AMP.
And Volkswagen was no more a major manufacturer than Kaiser??
From 1946-1955 VW was over 50% of the whole German economy!
Made a mistake here. My above statement would be from 1948-1955.
50% of a ruined economy doesn’t mean much.
From 1947 to 1954 they made 722,000 Beetles. 1955 is a big year because they made 280,000 cars, 38% of what they had accomplished in the previous seven. Bringing the total to 1,002,000.
From 1947 to 1954, K-F built 747,500 Kaisers, Frazers and Henry Js. Adding 1955, the year of Kaiser’s demise, brings the total to 748,791. I believe they continued to make Kaisers in South America but I don’t have those numbers. I doubt they’d make much difference to the 1947-1955 total.
In 1955 alone, major manufacturer and 2nd place Ford built 1,451,157. No mention whether that was only cars.
50% is a huge amount, and by the mid 50’s Germany’s economy was by far the largest in Europe, larger than one of the victors Great Britain. VW played a major role in the German economic miracle. Remember this is little West Germany.
It seems as though most Americans could see the writing on the wall when it came to the Kaiser-Frazer enterprise. The company started off pretty well after WW2, but that was while the seller’s market existed. Acrimony between Henry Kaiser and Joe Frazer didn’t help, and by the time the pent-up demand due to wartime was satisfied, there were rumors about K-F going under. Americans didn’t want to be stuck with orphan cars, and, sure enough, K-F quit producing cars in the USA somewhere around early 1955. Of course, Kaiser acquired Willys, and continued as a viable manufacturer for many more years in South America.
I believe the Henry J’s lack of success had about as much to do with the lack of faith in the company as the way the car was styled.
The Henry-J had a couple of practical flaws – most notably the lack of a trunk lid on the original model, and was poorly equipped as noted here. The Willys Ace, using the same engines, was a much better car.
If only Joe Frazier had stayed at Willys through the war and maneuvered a JV or merger with Kaiser in ’46, they could have developed the Ace and used the money saved from the Henry-J to finance the V-8 they were developing, as well as a hardtop and convertible for the ’51s.
owna1951henryjanda1952&a1953thatisalloriginal
A donation to the gassers! That and about 40 Willys.