It wasn't the first car sold by sears, Roebuck but it was definitely the last. Essentially a Henry J built by the Kaiser-Frazer company, the Allstate was conceived by Henry Kaiser as a means of expanding the market for his compact 2-door. Sear's vast customer base represented a unique opportunity, assuming the public would be willing to buy a car from a department store chain. The great American public, as it turned out, wasn't enthusiastic. Only 2300 Allstates were purchased in its short life, which began in 1952 and ended in 1953. The marque was then discontinued and shortly thereafter Kaiser-Frazer pulled the plug on the slow-selling Henry J. Sears advertised the Allstate as "the lowest-priced full-sized sedan on the U.S. market." Full-size? Bit of an exaggeration on the part of the marketing department, wouldn't you say?

The obstacle was questionable service. Even though K-F had informed its dealers that they should take care of Allstate owners, prospects were nervous. Yet there may have been another, more significant obstacle. This was a period when economics suggested that a market existed for low-price cars. Hudson introduced its Jet, Willys its Aero, K-F its Henry J. They all flopped. In my opinion, styling was the reason. All three looked like full-size cars run through the wringer. History has proved that shrinking big car silhouettes just doesn't work, as GM discovered in the early 80s with desperate downsizing attempts. Incidentally, Sears had tried selling a car under its name between 1908 and 1912. The cars cost more to manufacture than could be recouped and the manufacturing rights were sold to Lincoln. As a long-time ad writer I therefore suggest that Lincoln add the following to its advertisements: "Under the Hood of Every Lincoln Sits a Sears-Roebuck Catalog." For more details and photos of the Allstate, click on the cartype link.