Believe it or not, the 1954 Kaiser Manhattan was the first car to offer a factory supercharger after WWII. While that sounds sexy and exciting, you have to realize that the blower was forcing air into a flathead six that could have used three of them to make some real power. That being said, the car we found for sale on eBay is in great shape and it is very unique.
By 1954 it was clear that Kaiser was not long for the passenger car business (although the Kaiser Jeep division would soldier on until 1970 when sold to AMC) and the company was pretty desperate to do anything possible to drum up sales. Rather than invest the massive expense of developing an overhead valve engine, supercharging was the cheaper alternative for Kaiser’s Manhattan sedan.
The looks of the car make is a love it/hate it piece and we fall into the love it category. The lines of the car, rounded roof line, and sunken grill are all design elements that were pretty daring for the mid-1950s. In comparison to a 1954 Chevy, this car looks downright futuristic. Our favorite part of the car are the taillights which climb the rear fenders nearly to the window.
This car is one of only 3,800 Manhattans produced in 1954 and we’re guessing that it is one of only a handful that exist with their factory supercharger intact. If you want something truly unique, this is the whip for you!
Source — eBayMotors.com — Factory Supercharged 1954 Kaiser Manhattan
