1954 Kaiser Darrin news, pictures, and information

1954 Kaiser Darrin is marked by low, sweeping lines. The Kaiser Darrin is a beautifully styled open two-seater that features unique doors that glide forward and almost disappear inside the front fenders.

Powered by a 90-horsepower 161-cubic inch six cylinder engine, the Kaiser-Darrin was created to compete with Chevrolet's Corvette in the growing sports car market. The Kaiser-Darrin was styled by Santa Monica-based Howard 'Dutch' Darrin, who had also designed for Packard and Studebaker. Unusual for the time, the Kaiser-Darrin had a fiberglass body, a three-position top and sliding doors that disappeared into the front fenders when opened. In 1954, the model's only year of production, a mere 435 cars were built in addition to an estimated six pre-production prototypes.

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This Darrin was owned (pre-1970s) by Don Noska of California. It was sold to Lowell Johnson from Wisconsin, who sold the car to Victor Carbe, Jr., of Hazelton, PA. Carbe sold the car to George Domer, from Milton, PA. Someone repainted the Darrin metallic green, and the upholstery became black. A dual exhaust system was installed on the car. The Darrin sat in Domer's garage for 25 years, partially disassembled. When the present owner purchased the car, the fiberglass get coat was totally gone, leaving a very rough surface. A full body-off restoration was performed by Westmoreland Antique Auto Restorations in Blairsville, PA. The upholstery was done by Larry Learn, of Clymer, PA. Research, parts location and chassis restoration was performed by Ron Strapel.

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The First Fiberglass Car in the World!
Henry J. Kaiser, a United States industrialist, and Joseph W. Frazer, president of the Graham-Paige Corporation, started making automobiles with the brand names Kaiser and Frazer after World War II. Kaiser-Frazer also built a small car called the Henry J, named for Henry Kaiser. A slightly re-designed version of the Henry J was sold by selected Sears Auto Centers during 1952 and 1953 under the brand name Allstate. This car was tagged as a product of Sears-Roebuck. While listed for information purposes in the Sears 'wish books' the Kaiser Motors operation at Will Run, Michigan was closed down and moved to the Willys-Overland Corporation facility in Toledo, Ohio. Kaiser car production in the USA ended in 1955.

The Kaiser Darrin, designed by Howard 'Dutch' Darrin, was the first production fiberglass sports car in the USA and the world, beating the Corvette to market by one month. The fiberglass body by Glaspar weighs only 300 pounds! A three-position landau top and innovative doors that slide into the front fenders complimented the trademark Darrin 'dip' at the front of the rear fenders. This design detail gave the famous Packard Darrin roadsters of the early 1940's a stunning look. The Kaiser Darrin was one of Dutch's last design achievements, and many say the crowning jewel of his career. Gail Manz first drove an identical Kaiser Darrin in 1954, and has loved the design ever since.

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Chevrolet wasn't the only automaker putting fiberglass bodies on American sports cars in the 1950s. The Kaiser Darrin, shown here, is the 25th of 435 produced, and not only had fiberglass bodywork, but unique sliding doors.

The car was designed by the famous Howard 'Dutch' Darrin, an electrical engineer who tried to create the first automatic transmission, which didn't work. He then started an airline, which quite literally crashed. Finally, he started designing cars, eventually established an important coach building business in Paris with fellow American Tom Hibbard. They returned to the United States before World War II, with Darrin establishing a design business.

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Chassis Num: 161001429

A mere 435 examples of the Kaiser Darrin were created, and all were produced in 1954. They beat the Corvette to market by only a few weeks with a few being painted in Corvette-like colors of white and red. (All 300 examples of the 1953 Corvettes were finished in Polo White with red interior).

The styling was performed by the Santa Monica based Howard 'Dutch' Darrin. Darrin's legacy including styling exercises for many notably marques such as Packard and Studebaker.

There are many memorable aspects to the Kaiser Darrin, such as being the first production fiberglass sports car in the US and the world. Another feature to the car was its unique sliding doors which would glide forward and almost disappear inside the front fenders.

This example has been given a full high quality restoration several years ago. It has the original overdrive transmission which was an additional cost of $107 in 1954. The base price of the Kaiser Darrin was $3,655.

In 2008, the car was brought to the Hilton Head Sports & Classic Car Auction presented by the Worldwide Auctioneers. It was estimated to sell for $110,000 - $130,000. Bidding failed to reach those estimates, yet the lot was sold for a high bid of $75,900 including buyer's premium.

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Chassis Num: 161001071
Engine Num: 3495116

This 1954 Kaiser Darrin Convertible is one of just two or three known special order Darrins and is believed to have been delivered to a VIP client or Kaiser family member. It wears special order paint code 999 and special order trim code 888. Both of these did not correspond with the standard interior and exterior colors available at the time.
The body number is 71 and it currently wears the correct Teal Blue paint scheme complimented by wide whitewall tires and a white interior. It was given a restoration many years ago.

In 2008, this vehicle was offered for sale at the 'Sports & Classics of Monterey' presented by RM Auctions where it had an estimated value of $90,000 - $120,000. It was offered without reserve and sold for a high bid of $87,500 including buyer's premium.

In 2009, it was offered for sale at the Vintage Motor Cars of Meadow Brook presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $75,000-$100,000. The lot was sold for the sum of 91,300 including buyer's premium.

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Chassis Num: 161001322

This 1954 Kaiser Darrin Roadster was offered for sale at the 'Sports & Classics of Monterey' presented by RM Auctions where it had an estimated value of $100,000 - $125,000. It was sold for a high bid of $104,500 including buyer's premium.

This restored car is finished in a cream color with a maroon interior. It has a new red three-position convertible top with landau irons, and a pair of wind wings. The car rides on red painted steel wheels with wire-basket hubcaps with Kaiser-Darrin center caps. The wide whitewall tires are period correct.

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This car was bought by the current owner's father in 1962 from an English sports car driver. After the owner's father's death in 1964, the car was improperly stored and suffered severe damage. However, the owner spent over five years rebuilding the car, which can be documented through the hundreds of photos taken during the process. The 2009 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance was the car's first showing.

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Essentially the brainchild of famed American Designer Howard 'Dutch' Darrin, this unique vehicle was released on January 6, 1954. The cars were basically hand assembled in Kaiser's Jackson, Michigan warehouse. The unique sliding door arrangement caused several issues with production which caused constant and significant delays. Despite the beauty and unique style of the automobile, Kaiser gave up on the project on June 30, 1954, with only 435 having been built.

There were approximately fifty remaining bodies when Kaiser stopped production. Darrin took them, installed Cadillac V8s and tried marketing them strictly as Darrins with very limited success.

The Kaiser-Frazer Automobile Company introduced the stylish and attractive Darrin roadster in 1954. The company was attempting to revamp their model lineup, and the result was the exciting, image-leading Darrin. The concept of the Kaiser-Darrin roadster was envisioned by famous automotive designer Howard 'Dutch' Darrin. The prototype of the vehicle was built in Santa Monica CA at Darrin's shop at his own personal cost and expense.

Henry Kaiser wasn't crazy about the design of the Darrin, but agreed to produce the small roadster at the request of his wife, who had fallen in love with the vehicle. The Darrin roadster was aimed at a fresh, young and hip market. The Kaiser-Darrin came with plenty of standard components, along with a clean and modern Darrin design that did much to set it apart from all of its competition.

The entire construction and development of the Darrin roadster was completed in barely 13 months. The chassis of the Darrin was taken from the compact Hendry J. Its wheelbase was only 100 inches and perfect for the Darrin. The engine was not taken from the Henry J, but instead was an F-head six from Kaiser-Frazer's newly acquired Willys. The 161 cubic inch six cylinder engine gave the Darrin enough speed to keep up with its sporting image. Complete control of the sportscar was a breeze with the 4 speed manual transmission that shifted easily.

The body of the Kaiser-Darrin was constructed in fiberglass and featured individual sliding doors. The doors were a concept exclusively from Darrin and his fascination with the concept of sliding doors rather than conventional swing-out doors. With the sliding doors the problem of scraping the door on the curb was eliminated and entry and exit was a simple procedure.

The Kaiser-Darrin roadster was unfortunately a very short-lived project as the project was halted after just nine months. Only a total of 435 units were ever constructed. The Darrin roadster was a great example of Post-War America in the 1950s. Today these roadsters are sold at auctions for over $100,000.00.

Jessica Donaldson

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