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The 1947 Frazer was originally designed to appear as a car without a regular grill. The small slit-type grill was painted on the early models to blend in with the smooth body and further contribute to this illusion. Joe Frazer had hired Howard "Dutch" Darrin to design the car long before the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation was even formed. Darrin envisioned a smooth body car without regular fender lines and minimal trim, such as the grill, parking lights or tail lights. The end result was very tastefully done. Once the cars hit the dealers showrooms, however, the customers and dealers were critical of the appearance. The K-F Sales organization pressed the factory to enhance the grill area and the quick response was to just chrome the grill.
Later in the model year a more luxurious "Manhattan" model was introduced. Frazer would use the Manhattan name until Joe Frazer left the organization and the original bodies were all used up. The "Manhattan" name was then assigned to the top of-the-line Kaiser.
For more on the history of Joseph W. Frazer and the early Frazer cars, read Kaiser Bill's "Kaiser Flyer" No. 5.
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