This Kaiser was the 3189th Kaiser Special built. This is also the 9th oldest Kaiser still known in existence in the US.
It was originally sold to Mr. Lape in upstate NY. From there, the Airway Blue special traveled to NH where it spent an awful lot of time, racking up most of the 61000 miles. An oil change sticker in 2004 shows 60,927 miles. From NH she moved down south to GA where it sat for many years until the current owner came across her and brought her back to New England.
The engine turned but she didn't run and he went through and got her running and road-ready.
New fuel pump and carb were installed, new fuel lines, tank was replaced, brake lines and new brakes. The tires are just 5 years old too and in great condition.
She appears to be in her original paint, unless she was stripped down to bare metal and repainted at some point, however, there are no tape lines around the "VIN" tag in the door jam, so she may be original paint. There are some scratches and chips and bigger chips in the paint, but overall, she still shines and doesn't look half bad. As a matter of fact, a young couple drove by while I was doing the photos and commented on how beautiful she is.
The seats/interior also appear to be original. They show a good deal of wear and staining, but they still hold a full size human with ease and aren't all that uncomfortable. The interior is what one would expect after almost 80 years.
The 226 flat head straight 6 now fires right up and purrs. Super smooth, the way they were built to be by Mr. Kaiser.
He had also brought in a certain Mr. Darrin to assist in body design and this one holds his tag on the right rear valance.
Underneath one might expect a fair amount of rust, having lived her first 60 years in new England, but she is clean, a little surface rust here and there, but no rot.
What you have a variable time capsule. She starts and runs great, the 3 speed manual on the "tree" shifts easily, the brakes work as 4 wheel drums do.
Personally, I'd keep her just the way she is and get her out and about, to cruise nights, shows, etc. She may not win any trophies, but is that the real reason for owning something like this?
You'll be able to say you have one of the oldest known Kaiser automobiles in the world.
The asking price on her is just $6000, pretty cheap entry into the classic car world.
Any questions, for several hundred additional photos and video, to schedule a time to see her in person or to make an offer, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for the interest!
