Yes, you know what car this is. Or maybe not. If not you’re probably in good company. It’s purely my speculation, but I’d guess this is the least recognizable post-war mass-produced American car. I bet if I went to one of the local car shows around here and showed this picture asking what car this is, I’d get very few right answers.
Or are there better candidates for this honor?
As to what it is:
Curbside Classic: 1953 Willys Aero-Lark – The Failed Sneak Preview Of The Falcon, Lark And Other Compacts
I nominate the Mercury Meteor.
Dodge 880
Saturn Astra
Oldsmobile Firenza
Buick Terraza
Saw this Astra on Autotrader a few years ago. Someone put a lot of effort into the rebadge. Toyed with the idea of picking it up, for a couple nanoseconds, just to mess with people.
I’ve seen a couple done with the other alternative- Vauxhall.
As an Astra owner, I’ll take a bit of exception to this. The Astra belonged (and still belongs) to a rarified/small club of hatchbacks recently sold in the United States. Furthermore, it’s a car designed in Germany, built in Belgium and sold as an American. Sure that in itself is ~unique! For people tuned into the hatchback market, the Astra is not at all obscure.
Rereading that, perhaps I’ve made your point.
Cool. I bought a 2017 Cruze hatchback, one of the first ones off the line in late 2016. In the first week or so of ownership, I had occasion to park next to one of the Astra hatches. Recognized it immediately & didn’t know it existed before that day.
My niece bought one new in 2008 (though she doesn’t still have it). I rented an Opel Astra in 2000 in Germany.
Obscure American cars? Of course I would guess the Tucker, the ’60 Edsel, ’61 DeSoto.
Imports (sold in the US)? My Dad bought a new ’68 Renault R10, you didn’t see them very often even when they still sold them….he went from probably most common model (prior car was a ’59 Beetle) to one of the least common cars back to back. I have a friend who inherited a ’61 NSU Prinz, from his Dad, one of his friends is working on restoring…not sure where they’ll get the parts for it from.
That’s a Willys Aero.
It’s a Willys Areo.Eagle hardtop, about a 1953 vintage?
As an old fart in here, I can still hear the AM radio commercial done in chirpy tune mode – “How do you like your Aero Willys?” ……….”Well, It’s WONDERFUL!” And even back then few folks knew what it was.
A first generation Frazier, a Hudson Jet, 1956-57 Full size Hudson & Nash, even later AMC rebadging like a Spirit Kammback
How about the Hudson Rambler? Just about everyone remembers the Nash Rambler, but the Hudson version made for a few years toils in obscurity.
The Frazier Manhattan is a good pick – they’re very obscure. They just look like a generic big car. Kaiser didn’t hang tons of chrome on those cars. I was also thinking about the Olds Firenza. Especially the 1988. It could have been any car.
Good point about the Frazer. I can never remember which was the more upmarket of the two, that or the Kaiser. It’s not obvious just by looking at photos.
Frazer was the higher cost car of the two. It shared the same bodyshell, was mechanically identical, but had significantly more trim and nicer interior materials than its Kaiser stablemate. Only the final model year 1951 Frazer wore notably different styling; it was heavily facelifted, and used leftover 1950 bodies while the Kaiser got completely new styling. For better or worse, the ’51 Frazer’s frontal treatment was roughly echoed in the 1951 Henry J, though.
Thanks.
I recognized it as a Willys Aero, though I have no idea which year or model.
I’d guess something like a Crosley CD is even less known. I mean, you’ll recognize it if you’re familiar with them, but most people now if they’ve heard of Crosley at all know them only for radios, or maybe refrigerators. Willys at least is recognized as a vehicle brand, indeed it’s still trotted out frequently as a Jeep Wrangler trim package, with a new one announced earlier this week.
Nothing “least” about the Aero. Saw this example at the Ypsi Orphan Show last Sunday.
Those little tailfins make it instantly recognizable for me, but I’m not everybody, and a Willys Aero is indeed a pretty obscure car. Not a bad-looking little thing, but I don’t think that Continental kit is doing it any favors! If I had to pick my least favorite automotive accessory, it would be the Continental Kit…
I’m surprised the Aero didn’t do better. Probably the most attractive of the small cars several of the American independents fielded in the early ’50s, with solid engineering.
Once the initial demand for a new car wore off, all the early small cars withered away. Then came the VW Beetle…
The end of Korean War materials restrictions led straight into a Ford-Chevy price war that the independents couldn’t match.
Only the Nash Rambler survived that because of their policy, probably instituted to maximize profit-per-unit in response to those shortages, of concentrating on higher-end convertibles, hardtops and wagons. Once the Big Three’s entry-level offerings got ridicuhuge in 1957-8 they were in position to take off.
Willys had an early association with Chrysler, and (much) later the nameplate was owned by Chrysler, when they bought out AMC, who owned the name as the result of their 1970 purchase of Kaiser-Jeep, who got rights to the name when Kaiser bought out Willys.
Which means that the Willys brand name is now owned by FCA, who uses the name for a trim package on the Jeep Wrangler. What a long, strange trip.
Oops, I meant to say Stellantis
As a kid I never saw many Willys Aeros, but when I did I thought they were attractive but really small. What amazes me about this one is, I truly dislike continental kits – but this one is pretty good. Maybe because the tire is so small it doesn’t overpower the rear end.
The Willys Aero was meant to compete in the full size car market, Chev, Ford and Plymouth. The Aero was only slightly smaller, the Willys wheelbase 108, Chevy 115, so only 7 inch’s difference. Length was 14 inches shorter than the Chevy. As far as width, the Aero actually had more passenger room. The selling advantage the Aero offered over the competition was much better fuel economy and handling. It was difficult to compete as Aero prices were similar to the big three.
What about the 1960 Edsels? The earlier ones are very distinctive but the a little rare but almost always forgotten and probably confused with a Mercury.
The first Dodge Dart? The one before the Valiant?
The Checker pre-Marathon?
as others have said, just about any Frazier.
the 1958 Packardbaker station wagon
Willys Aero it doesnt need a bumper turd, rear window is the same design as the Hillman California hardtop of the early 50s.
1970 1/2 Ford Falcon station wagon.
Had no idea that variation came in anything other than a “2 door sedan”.
One wonders why they didn’t even bother to paint-match the added fender skirt, which I assume was part of the kit?
The Kaiser Henry J.
Allstate for extra obscurity.
The Aero wasn’t exactly a failure; it outsold the ’53 Rambler, and Nash paid attention to the Aero’s 108″ wheelbase. They added 4-door Ramblers of that size in ’54, and started beating the Aero. 108 then became the default compact size for the Big Three.
Oddly enough, I’ve stumbled across a fair number of Willys Aeros over the years, whether in Montana or Arizona. Most of the examples I’ve seen in Arizona have been hot-rodded, though an acquaintance owns a stock 1955 Bermuda. These cars were about a quarter century old when I was born, but I’ve always been able to spot them without much difficulty. I personally like the earlier ones better; the “Kaiserization” of the ’55’s doesn’t do much for me.
Ehh… no thanx on the continental kit and fender skirts, though they don’t look nearly as awful as when applied to an early Stude Lark.
“Eagle Premier”.
I always thought of the Willys Aero is a good looking Henry J.
Depends on production numbers. If you’ll allow ‘a handful’, my candidate would be the ’67 Mohs Ostentatienne.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-1967-mohs-ostentatienne-opera-sedan-with-a-truck-chassis-20-wheels-and-lots-of-bling-it-was-way-ahead-of-its-time/
Everyone would sort-of know what it is, but the Vega sedan delivery offered the first few years, with blacked-out rear side panels and seating for one. (and even the driver gets only a low-back seat without a headrest because trucks didn’t require them yet.)
Also, the Vega Nomad wagon, and ’78 Monza S hatchback that was a Vega in all but name and front-end styling. Supposedly nearly 3,000 were built, but the whereabouts of only a few seem to be known.
VanillaDude offered the Frazier Manhattan for obscure example, and that same afternoon, while walking the puppy, I spied what I took as an early 50s Dodge/Plymouth – well looked after. The pup stopped to sniff something interesting nearby and the owner motioned me over when he saw me gawking. Turns out to be a 1947 Frazier Manhattan which this owner had rescued and uses for the show and shine circuit. Interior completely restored from rodent damage. I was impressed with the completely flat floor. The sound of the door closing, though, reminded me of Mercedes from an earlier time.
This isn’t my first experience of the so called CC effect.
I would have liked to have seen that Frazier. The one I see most often is one parked at the Country Classics Auto in Staunton Illinois. It is a 1949.
By the way, the car pictured is a 1947 or 48, and spelled correctly, FRAZER. These cars aren’t given the credit they deserve. While the big 3 trotted out prewar designs in 1946, Kaiser and Frazer cars were a clean sheet design, with many advanced technological features. The only left over technology was the L head Continental six cylinder engine.
And they were hardly the only ones using L-heads.
OK the Willys Aero is pretty darned obscure, but how about the Sears Allstate?