Kaiser Special

The Kaiser Special was a mid-size car built by Kaiser-Frazer from 1946 to 1951, according to the Italian Wikipedia article on the model. It was launched in August 1946 as a 1947 model and was recognisable by its windscreen divided into two parts. As the basic car of the Kaiser range it was joined in 1947 by a better equipped version called the Custom, which added whitewall tyres, more chrome inside and out, a richer dashboard and better seats. Changes in 1948 were minor: the grille and bumper were adjusted, the compression ratio was raised without any gain in performance and wider tyres were fitted. From the middle of that year a twin-carburettor version of the engine rated at 112 horsepower was offered at extra cost. The line was updated in 1949 with a new grille, doors, bonnet and boot, and a light facelift followed in 1950. The standard engine was a 3,707 cubic centimetre inline six-cylinder with side valves, rated at 100 horsepower and driving the rear wheels through a dry single-plate clutch and a three-speed manual gearbox with a column lever, with overdrive available on request. The chassis was a box-section frame, with double wishbones and coil springs at the front, leaf springs at the rear and hydraulic drum brakes.