1954 Kaiser Darrin Sport Convertible

On August 9. 1945. the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation was incorporated. an effort spear-headed by Joseph Frazer and Henry J. Kaiser. Kaiser had made his fortune in construction. most notably his participation in the building of Hoover and Liberty Ships. Frazer had been a Packard mechanic. then president of Willys-Overland. and finally gaining control of the Graham-Paige Motor Corporation. The Kaiser-Frazer goal was to tackel two major segments of the automotive market. the upper and the lower. This meant going against General Motors. Ford and Chrysler and other small but well-known companies such as Packard. Studebaker. Nash and Hudson. The intent was to gear the Kaiser automobiles for the lower end segments and entry level vehicles. The Frazer vehicles would operate the opposit end of the spectrum. catering to the upper class segment.
Since this was a new company. their vehicles had to be built from the broud up. The manufacturer's firts prototype was very advanced. but the eventual production cars were of a more conventional design. There was experimentation with Front-wheel drive and various other mechanical components. but the Kaiser-Frazer pair settled on the traditional front-mounted motor. rear-wheel drive design. This was decided after they encountered numerous transmission problems with the front-wheel design. The styling was handled by Santa Monical based Howard 'Dutch" Darrin who produced designs that provided ample seating and legroom for passengers while maintaining a comfortable ride. Darrin also designed for Packard and Studebaker. The four-door sedans proved an immediate hit; before the end of the decade. Kaiser produced 5% of all new cars in the U. S.
The Kaiser Darrin. designed by Howard "Dutch" Darrin. was the first production fiberglass sports car in the US and the world. beating the Corvette to market by one month. The fiberglass body of Glaspar weighed only 300 pounds. Marked by low. sweeping lines. the Darrin was a beautifully styled open two-seater that featured unique doors that would glide forward and almost disappear inside the front fenders. Also distinctive was the three-position landau top. This design detail gave the famous Packard Darrin roadsters of the early 1940s a stunning look. The Kaiser Karrin was one of Dutch's last design achievements. and many say the crowing jewel of his career.
a 90 horsepower 161 cub in inch six-cylinder engine. the Darrin was created to compete with Chevrolet's Corvette in the growing sports car market. In 1954. the model's only year of production. a mere 435 cars were built before production ceased. In addition to beating Corvette to market by a mere few weeks. a small number of the Darrins. like the one offered here. also seized upon the inherent elegance of a white and red color combination; (for those not familiar. all 300 1953 Corvettes were finished in Polo White with red interior) another subtle snub to Corvette.
The lovely Kaiser Darrin offered here has benefited from a high quality full restoration in 2013. The fit and finish are wonderful and unlike many cars of its stature that languish in collections. this one is fully mechanicallly sorted and ready to drive in a heartbeat. The driving experience is augmented by the Darrin's original overdrive transmission. which was added at a cost of $107 over the already hefty base price of $3. 55.
I have a very complete history of the car as well as files on all restoration and service performed to this wonderful car. I have owned the car for five years and it has been kept in a conditioned garage as part of my personal collection. The professional restoration was completed within the last three months and the car has been driven only 15 miles since that time. Feel free to contact me with any questions.  

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