1954 Kaiser Darrin Sport Convertible

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 a red interior).

The styling was performed by the Santa Monica-based Howard 'Dutch' Darrin. Darrin's legacy includes styling exercises for many notable 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 of the car was its unique sliding doors which would glide forward and almost disappear inside the front fenders.

This example was 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. It is number 429 out of the 435 produced. This car was purchased in 1954 by a Mr. Bisco, who owned and operated a Kaiser Frazer dealership in Allentown, PA. It was used as his personal vehicle until given it to his daughter Lucretia Seaman Bisco for her 18th birthday in September of 1973. The car would remain with Lucretia for the next five years until she began to start a family of her own.

Lucretia sold the car to William E. Bruring of LaCrosse, WI, in September 1978. It would remain in his care for the next 29 years, the second half residing in protective storage and no longer driven. Donald Lake purchased the car in July of 2007 and soon undertook a full restoration. It was given new paint, chrome, tires, brakes, and cylinder, and a full engine refurbishment. The work was completed in 2008.

The current owner has cared for the car since August of 2010. In 2013, the owner undertook a complete frame-off cosmetic restoration that included period-correct Champagne Lacquer white paint and newly upholstered leather seats and carpeting in contrasting red.

This Kaiser-Darrin has only covered what is believed to be 35,722 original miles. Since the restoration work was completed in 2013, the car has been driven less than 100 miles.