Customs Old photos of a fairly radical Kaiser hardtop circa 1964

Hi all,

Does anyone have any information about this Kaiser built in Illinois sometime in the late 50's to early 60's? Have you ever seen this in any of the old magazines? I don't recall ever seeing this one before in any publication, although it looks like the builder was very talented.

I'm hoping to get some more photos, as he also built a convertible, but I only have a fuzzy printed version of that one at the moment. For now, this is all I have. Both cars were built as boattails, although the convertible had 56 Cadillac front bumpers, and was probably a '53, whereas this car was either a '54 or '55.

I don't believe these have ever been published before as these came from a family member. The builder passed away recently, so I don't have much information, except that his name was Carl.

I think it's a pretty spectacular build, and I'd love to hear that the car has survived.

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks,

Kevin

 

I like it,hope you can find it or any info on it. You don't know who any of the previous owners were?

 

I have always thought that the rear fenders on the Golden Sahara were Kaisers. This car really reminds me of the Golden Sahara.

 

No, at this point, all I know is that the builder's first name was Carl....

 

I don't have any info for you but I like the car. It's got cool lines.

 

I had seen one of the photos of this great looking Kaiser some time ago. It was send to me by somebody... for got who and I lost the original email.

I posted it on the Ancient East Coast Custom thread on there. And got no replies back then.

Hopefully somebody reminds this car now... would be very interesting to find out more of its history.

Is the car still around today?

 

Rickster, I don't know whether it's still around. I'm hoping someone will see this and show us a recent photo.

I have a hard time believing that any junk yard would have scrapped something this special. It's gotta be out there somewhere....

 

Hey,

The above mentioned kustom doesn't look like a Kaiser, but a late 50s early 60s C Body Mopar with some Kaiser parts attached. The cowl panel, windscreen & backlight all look very Mopar. Perhaps the kaisers built in South America into the sixties, used a different windscreen & frame than the ones built in America?
Still, a very kool build no matter what it was built from!

" Life ain't no Disney movie "

 

Or maybe Kaiser from the beltline down, with a Chrysler roof, etc...?
Very cool car, hopefully someone has some info!

 

Looks pretty sweet. I'm with Chop, it looks like someone added a Chrysler roof.

 

A very similar convertable called The Flame is in the Toronto area.Was in Jan. 1960 Hot Rod. Is there a conection?

 

Ah, I'm glad you spoke up...

I have one more photo that I didn't post in the original set of pictures, since it was only shown from the rear. But, yes, he also built a convertible.

I don't have a scanned copy showing the front end, but I saw a paper copy, and it had Cadillac bumpers, and apparently a '53 hood.

Is this the same car that's in Toronto?

I'll see if I can get an electronic copy of the front end.

Thanks,

Kevin

 

I like that... It almost looks like a Concept..

 

The car in Toronto was featured in the Jan.1960 Hot Rod . Someone needs to scan a picture from that article.

 

Here`s a few scans from Hot Rod.

 

Its looks like the same car, maybe they just added a Chrysler roof to the convertible or vice versa.

 

Not the same car? Trunk is completely different.

 

Carl casper built??

 

Definitely not the same car. The proportions are all different. (Either that or the magazine photos are compressed to make the car appear taller and shorter??)

 

I can't quite figure out what that roof is, but it's not Chrysler - it looks to me like a 1961 Ford Starliner except the rear window isn't tall enough. Maybe it is sunk down into the trunk area?

It DOES appear to be a Kaiser body, though. Can't quite place the windshield but it could be from several different 1957-1958 cars.

Darnit, all my reference books are at home and I'm at work. Urgh!

I love this car and hope we can all solve the mystery.

 

Forget Starliner, I think the roof is 1956 Ford! What do you guys think?

 

1956 Ford hardtop. Look closely at the roof. If this isn't quite the right year, it seems close?

 

I agree it's a different car but there are similar features. The Toronto car is fully restored and owned by a classic car dealer.Seldom seen.

 

This is what the backlight made me think of 55/56 Ford/ Merc hardtop...cool cars though!

 

tried some different pics trying to figure out the roof:

 

59-60 cad rear window?

 

That '57-58 Plymouth looks the closest, but I wouldn't be shocked if it turned out to be Ford or Mercury, either. Definitely not Plymouth windshield, though. That looks more GM to me (Buick? Olds?)

 

OK, I've learned a little more....

The car apparently started out as a '53 Kaiser, if the handwriting on one of the photos is accurate. I've taken some photos of some printed copies of the original photos as shown below. I've also learned there were NOT two cars, but rather one. The first build was a convertible, and then later it was restyled as a hardtop....

Sorry for the poor quality of the images, but this is all I have at the moment.... I also heard that the roof was '56 Plymouth.

 

Fantastic... Thanks for sharing the updated info.

 

Cool old custom... John