The era of the postwar independent automaker is a rich and fascinating one, and its historical study is like a “choose your own adventure” book. Automotive historians have written many volumes on what might have been if one carmaker had merged with another instead of this one, etc. Still, the failure of most of those brands was sadly inevitable. Unfortunately, Kaiser (as a brand) was one of those makes, although the company itself continued making Jeeps (and cars in Argentina). Even though Kaiser didn’t last long, it left behind one of the most attractive sedans of the early 1950s. Just underneath the top-of-the-line Dragon was the Kaiser Manhattan, and this one’s for sale on Marketplace in Big Rapids, Michigan.

Kaiser, in the early ’50s, was well-known for their trend-setting interiors, as evidenced by the bamboo accents and “dragon vinyl” found in some of their sedans. The head of interior design was a man named Carleton Spencer, and he was an interior genius. Most of the industry treated the interior almost as an afterthought in the immediate postwar period, but Spencer made it a focal point. Although this Manhattan doesn’t look too wild by later 1950s standards, the seat bolsters, door panels, and dash pad of this ’53 are enough in the Kaiser vein to make me wonder if they’re the real thing; the seller does claim that the paint is original, so who knows. Maybe we’ve found a real survivor here; perhaps our Kaiser-Frazer experts on Barn Finds can narrow things down more in the comments.

For those keeping track, we have a handsome sedan with exterior styling by noted designer Howard “Dutch” Darren and an interior designed by one of the few interior designers that an automotive historian might know by name. So what held the Kaiser back? Part of it was the engine; the Kaiser was available only with a 226 cubic-inch flathead six producing 118 horsepower. It was based on a Continental design, but by 1953, you could buy an eight-cylinder engine in almost any other American car, so that may have kept some buyers away. Also, the Big Three was building some attractive two-door hardtops that were selling very well, but Kaiser was never able to introduce that popular body style. There were also economies of scale; Kaiser could never compete on price because their output was so low: only 31,272 Kaisers (not including Henry J’s) were sold in 1953. As a comparison, Buick sold more than 58,000 Special two-door hardtops that year: just the two-door hardtop in the Special line alone.

As they say, however, rarity does not always equate to value, and the seller of this Manhattan understands that. Although it looks like a perfectly solid original (check out this picture of the trunk), its price won’t break the bank: $4,500. For a running and driving sedan (that’s missing a bit of front trim – too bad), that’s a good deal. That it’s been for sale for over a week shows you one of two things: the market for these is soft, or the car isn’t what it seems. I’d guess the former. But if you want a terrific conversation starter to cruise around in next summer, this might be the one. You won’t make any money if you decide to sell, but you probably won’t lose any at this price, so what do you have to lose?