The 1950s was the beginning of the end of the golden age of independent automakers in the US. At the beginning of the decade there were eight independent brands (Crosley, Frazer, Henry J, Packard, Hudson, Kaiser, Nash, and Studebaker); by 1960 only Studebaker and Rambler (AMC) would remain.
Most of the smaller independents had to find niches in order to avoid potentially fatal direct competition with the Big 3. Kaiser decided to pursue style-conscious buyers, and came up with some of the most interesting designs of the 1950s, culminating with the 1951 and 1953 Dragon models.
1951 Kaiser DeLuxe Dragon
In their goal to appeal to style-conscious buyers, Kaiser was standing on the shoulder of several industry giants: Famed designer Howard “Dutch” Darrin, who (at least in broad strokes) was responsible for Kaiser’s exterior styling, and interior stylist Carleton Spencer, whose interior work was notably a cut above that of the Big 3. Paul has covered both men in detail in his comprehensive history of Kaiser-Frazer.
The story goes that in 1951 Carleton Spencer was looking to make an upscale Kaiser model to fill the hole created by the pending discontinuation of the Frazer Manhattan, K-F’s then top-of-the-line model. Spencer collaborated with one of Kaiser’s suppliers to come up with an alligator patterned (and textured) vinyl for use in this new model. Kaiser called the interior upholstery “Dragon skin,” lest prospective buyers think it was made from the skin of an actual alligator. The name of the model followed from there.
Midway through the 1951 model year, Kaiser would release the Golden Dragon, their most daringly styled vehicle to date. Because of this late launch, the Dragon does not appear in most of the 1951 Kaiser brochures and marketing materials, save for the one ad above that I was able to find online. Technically the 1951 Dragon was not a standalone model but rather an option package on the Kaiser DeLuxe model.
1951 Kaiser Golden Dragon Interior
The dragon skin vinyl interior was available in multiple colors. You really had to like the look, because Kaiser put the material everywhere: The dashboard, door panels, parcel shelf, seat fronts and backs, even the pillars were all slathered with the material – pretty much everywhere but the headliner.
1951 Kaiser Golden Dragon Interior
The “Dragon Skin” interior is somewhat subdued in black (shown above), but in other colors it can be overwhelming, to say the least.
Of particular note about the 1951 Dragon is the vinyl roof, one of the first cars to be so equipped. Much like the vinyl interior, it had an alligator skin texture to it, giving the car the look of an exotic animal (or less flatteringly, the look of a turtle). The vinyl top was standard on later production Dragons.
1951 Kaiser Dragon without optional vinyl roof
There is some confusion over whether these 1951 models are called “Golden Dragon” or just “Dragon,” and the answer is “It depends.” Since the Dragon was just an option package and not a model, the name Dragon does not appear in script anywhere on the car, so Kaiser could (and did) change the naming convention several times over the course of the production run, as we shall see.
Over four months in 1951, Kaiser produced 1,662 Dragons in three different series. The first series models came only with a painted roof, since the vinyl roof was not yet available due to production delays from the supplier. Though available in a wide variety of colors, all Series 1 models were referred to as Golden Dragons, regardless of the actual color. The price for the Series 1 Golden Dragon package was $125 ($1,320 in 2021).
Series 2 Dragons came standard with the vinyl roof and a slightly reworked version of the “dragon skin” interior that was now called “Dinosaur Skin.” These changes raised the price of the Dragon package to $242 ($2553 in 2021) for the second series. Second series Dragons were available in only three exterior/interior color combinations, each of which had a separate trim name: Golden Dragon, Silver Dragon, and Emerald Dragon.
1951 Kaiser Golden Dragon
First is the Golden Dragon, the name which now only applied specifically to models painted Arena Yellow with black vinyl top and interior combination. The majority of Series 2 and 3 Dragons were apparently produced in the combination, based on survivorship.
1951 Kaiser Silver Dragon
The Silver Dragon wasn’t actually silver (silver was a very uncommon color in the ’50s), but rather was painted Mariner Gray. It came with a scarlet vinyl interior.
1951 Kaiser Emerald Dragon
The Emerald Dragon (pictured above) was dark green with a green upholstered (not vinyl) interior.
For the third and final series of 1951 Dragons, the same three colors from Series 2 were still available, plus a new Jade Dragon that had green metallic paint and a textured vinyl roof intended to resemble thatched straw. Only one Jade Dragon is known to survive, an OHV-powered prototype from Henry Kaiser’s private collection (of which maddeningly there are no pictures available online).
While technically the Dragon package was available on any bodystyle in 1951, the vast majority were four-door sedans.
1953 Kaiser Dragon
After taking a hiatus for 1952, the Dragon returned for a second (and final) run in 1953. Kaiser made several changes for 1953: For starters, the Dragon was now a true separate model, and not a trim line on the DeLuxe. The exterior color was no longer incorporated into the model name – all 1953 Dragons were simply called Dragon, regardless of color.
1953 Kaiser Dragon
To help justify the base price of $4,000 ($41,436 in 2021), Carleton Spencer slathered the exterior of the Dragon with 14K gold trim, with the wire wheels, hood ornament, nameplates, hood, and trunk emblems being gold plated. A plate was affixed to the dashboard with the owner’s name to further enhance the air of exclusivity. And if that weren’t enough, each Dragon buyer received a personal letter from Edgar Kaiser, doubtlessly congratulating them on their wise purchase of such a fine automobile.
1953 Kaiser Dragon Vinyl Roof
While the 1951 Dragon models had a clear reptilian influence, the 1953 models had more of a South Pacific vibe, in keeping with the then-popular tiki fad. The vinyl roof was textured and patterned to resemble a Polynesian grass hut and was available in black, beige, or maroon.
Six exterior colors (Onyx Black, Stardust Ivory, Jade Tint, Frosted Holly Green, Maroon Velvet, and Turquoise Blue) were now available. All were exclusive to the Dragon and (unusual for the time), were in lacquer, not the enamel paint that was used on lesser Kaisers (and by most other manufacturers). Onyx Black and Turquise Blue are the rarest colors: Blue was only used on a few auto show display models, while Onyx Black was dropped early in the production run due to its tendency to show waves and other imperfections in the underlying sheet metal. However, that scarcity didn’t stop our own Jason Shafer from stumbling on a black 1953 Dragon on a used car lot back in 2013.
1953 Kaiser Dragon Interior
The tiki theme carried over to the interior. Gone were Carleton Spencer’s exotic animal skins – In its place was a combination of the “Bambu” vinyl, inset with a geometric patterned “Laguna” fabric. The interior was designed by fashion designer Marie Nichols, one of the few female automotive interior designers at the time. Much like the 1951 model, virtually the entire interior was trimmed with these materials, including the pillars, headliner, sun visors, rear parcel shelf, and kick panels.
Sadly, the 1953 Dragon was even less successful than the 1951 model, selling just 1,277 examples.
Related Reading
Automotive History: The History of the Vinyl Roof, Part 1 – Origins
In The Bronx near where I lived on Valentine Avenue and 182nd Street, someone owned a 1953 Dragon with the “tiki” vinyl roof. It was unusual and at the time seemed attractive. What was not attractive on these cars was the greenhouse. The slope of the rear door towards the “C” pillar missed the boat.
I am a fan of the 1951-53 Kaiser, owing in no small part to my mother’s fond memories of her family’s new 1951 Deluxe sedan, which came into the family during her senior year of high school. Both she and an uncle who got to drive it back then remembered it as a really nice driving car.
I find the vinyl roof patterns cool, but they have the unfortunate side effect of highlighting those comically thick upper doors where they surround the windows. I sometimes imagine this car with a roof a little lower and Nash-style thin door uppers. The car would have been a complete knockout instead of what it was – an almost knockout.
I like K-F’s bold and colorful interiors, but that first Dragon shot is a little too much excitement inside for me.
Since finding the black one (one of two known left to survive in that color, according to a commenter) way back when, my affinity for these have grown.
If memory serves, the wire wheels commonly found on the ’53 Dragon were not included as part of the overall package at first. It seems that was a running change. However, it’s been a while since I researched this but that is what helped put me onto the black one I found being a very early build car. It had Kaiser wheel covers.
As luck would have it, I stumbled upon another ’51 to ’53 Kaiser for a sale about two years ago. It was a non-Dragon, red, and fully functional.
Kaiser had the most modern styling on an American four-door sedan at this point (save for the overly bulbous roof and door uppers), and also had the nicest-trimmed interiors. These features were unfortunately easy for the Big 3 to copy, leaving Kaiser without a difference to sell.
We could currently be on the cusp of a second golden age of American independent automakers spearheaded by Tesla and joined by the likes of Rivian, Lucid, and maybe Canoo, Fisker, and others. Tesla already broke AMC’s record for most cars sold in a year by a U.S. independent last year (nearly 500,000). Whether they will stick around or fall to the larger makes like 60 years ago remains to be seen.
When I was a kid in the early 60’s, I came across one of these sitting in the tall weeds behind a service station in my hometown. It appeared to have come from another planet or an earth from another dimension – vaguely familiar but also totally alien. It creeped me out and I skeddadled out of there. A few years later, I remembered it and went to look again. It was still there. The lizard top was still intact.
Also assembled in Argentina until 1962 with the badge name :
Kaiser Carabela !
Oh my, those interiors would take some getting used to. Well if being period correct in restoring one I guess one would need to call SMS and see what they have in stock, LOL.
People would lambast the Ford Taurus 45 years later for its use (overuse?) of ovals. Here it’s a plethora of dips and curves. While I would have been hesitant to buy a car from 1 of the independents in the early 50s, you have to give all of them credit for their very exuberant styling. Yes, the interiors on the examples shown are …daring, but you have to love that daringness.
A little of this goes a long way and can be very attractive. Unfortunately, restraint seemed to be a lost virtue among ’50s stylists and marketers.
A neighbor had one of these into the early 60s. It had not aged well. As kids, we used to point & make fun of the car whenever the elderly owner drove it around our small town. It was a hideous looking thing with strips of the top peeling off and large rust holes on the lower body.
That patina of age that is so popular today didn’t do this style any favors IMO.
I love these Dragons. Over the top, in a good way.
I noticed a right side rearview mirror. I don’t recall when they became standard, but I thought much later than the early ’50s. Another Kaiser innovation?
I owned a 1989 Honda Civic sedan and that car in DX trim didn’t get a right side door mirror until 1990. In typical Honda fashion, the first 2 years of that generation Civic were almost ” stripper ” models compared to the last 2 years. The 1990 DX sedans got the extra mirror, a tilting steering column, and a folding rear seat that the 88 and 89 did not have,
But I think there are a few cars that still only had the 1 door mirror after the 89 model year.
In the absence of the Dragon as a model, the top model name was the Kaiser Manhattan. I always thought that was an elegant name for a luxury car that stood out in the crowd.
Dragon almost sounds a bit childish to me, but maybe fitting with the wild interiors. Overall, I find this car quite attractive, and certainly unique. My only objections are the widow’s peak over the windshield and the plumber’s butt over the rear window – unnecessary detail.
This car was quite modern at it’s MY 1951 introduction, and was apparently intended for 1950 – they just couldn’t get it done in time. Could this be the first application of the Hofmeister kink? The earliest iteration of the Coke bottle beltline?
Packard seemed possibly a fan as well, their 1955 update seems inspired in several ways. Plop the 1950 – 1956 Packard greenhouse on the Kaiser, and you’ve got a rather similar car.
The Packard Dragon?……
In addendeum to the recently posted article about the advert featuring Packard’s “new” engines for 1948, it seems that Packard made a huge mistake in driving Dutch Darrin away, they had a huge opportunity to contract with him as their chief stylist. Of course, there may have been a battle of wills between the (nepotistically-promoted) Ed MaCauley “head of styling” and Dutch Darrin. But if Packard had been able to make beautiful cars from 1948-1954 their old-fashioned engines might have been more forgiven by the public. I always thought the basic lines of the 1951-55 Kaiser’s were beautiful.
At this point in my life I have no desire to go into debt on a new car. If such wonderful interiors were offered today, I think I might just bite the bullet.
I always thought these 51/53 Kaisers were better looking than anything the Big Three had, and was the sharpest looking independent until the arrival of the Studebaker Loewy Coupe.
I’d personally pass on the reptile-like hides but think Carleton Spencer was a genus with interiors.
I got to see a 54 Manhattan in the flesh in Arlington TX at a CC event with my nephew before this pandemic shit ruined our lives. It wasn’t a dragon, though. The wrap over taillights were awesome! The subtle dips in the front and back upper glass were so graceful. Am I the only one to notice that Kia has been doing a modern version of this on some of their new models! Ford trucks as well. If I ever get to see a Traveler or vagabond Kaiser in the flesh I’ll shart myself.
The first car I remember riding in was a Kaiser probably the Deluxe. Black with White roof and a bamboo interior. I was probably 5 at the time. Standing on the front with my arm around the old man’s neck “Faster Daddy, Faster!” Good times a long time ago.
Are there any left dad had one I would like to see one in person.