Vehicle Description
This 1954 Kaiser Darrin Sports Roadster is a gorgeous American
sports car and is ready for some serious summer cruising. In order
to win World War II, the United States ceased all automobile
production to assist in the War effort. After emerging victorious
from WWII, the US automotive industry was once again permitted to
produce cars but the early post-war American-made cars were
essentially the same pre-war designs, spruced up with new trim and
other superficial gimmicks to appear "new" the American public.
Since Kaiser was founded after the War, it was immediately able to
offer its vehicles with brand-new designs, selling approximately
70,000 new units in its debut year. But by 1949, the Big Three
Detroit automakers, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, had caught
up to Kaiser's head start and the Big Three were able to sell their
new-look cars at far bigger discounts than Kaiser-Frazer could have
possibly offered. Unable to compete with the Big Three Henry J.
Kaiser's (a famed American shipbuilder and industrialist) and
Joseph W. Frazer's (a notable American automotive industry
executive) joint venture was in such a dire financial situation
that it was ultimately bailed out by the federal government. In an
attempt to reinvent itself, and using the federal bailout funds it
had received, Kaiser debuted the Henry J which was an affordable
car for the "every man." Another way Kaiser sought to turn around
the company was by re-hiring famed automobile designer, Howard
"Dutch" Darrin, who had spent time and gained notoriety designing
bodies at Cadillac and later at Packard, and who initially worked
in the early years at Kaiser-Frazer as a Design Consultant.
However, Darrin's first stint at Kaiser-Frazer was not as
harmonious as was hoped, and Henry Kaiser actually fired Darrin
(only later to re-hire him in 1951). Darrin's first order of
business in his second stint at Kaiser was creating a 2-door
roadster prototype, a body style that just on the horizon at some
of Kaiser's competitors, such as at Chevrolet with the Corvette and
at Ford with the Thunderbird. The resulting car featured a
fiberglass body and built on the Henry J chassis. Due to the novel
design and methods used on Darrin's fiberglass roadster, the car
was ultimately displayed all over the country and the car was
placed into production in the 1954 model year. Built on the 100
inch Henry J chassis, the all fiberglass body was gorgeous with
beautiful body lines and perhaps most famously, was outfitted with
sliding doors that tucked into the front fenders of the car. Even
though the Kaiser Darrin was an incredibly beautiful design with
unique design elements, it was a total flop for the struggling
Kaiser-Willys (as it was now known) and total sales reaching a mere
435 units. Due in part to the commercial failure of the Kaiser
Darrin, Kaiser-Willys stopped its US operations in 1955 with over
$100 million in losses and meager sales figures, especially
compared to the company's early years. Due to its incredible design
and very low production the 1954 Kaiser Darrin remains one of the
most collectible American made automobiles of all time with only a
handful examples trading hands in recent years. This particular
example comes to us from a southern-based collector who took great
care of this iconic automobile. Under the hood on this '54 Kaiser
Darrin is a 161.1 Cubic Inch "Hurricane" F-Head Inline 6 cylinder
engine paired with a single barrel carburetor that together were
said to have created 90 horsepower when new. The 161 Hurricane 6 is
backed by a 3 speed manual transmission with overdrive which makes
this American sports car a blast to drive. Exhaust exits the Kaiser
F-Head engine via a single exhaust setup that generates a nice
throaty sound out the rear tailpipe. Riding on a set of wide
whitewall tires on steel wheels tucked behind Wire wheelcovers with
Kaiser emblems, this '54 Kaiser Darrin has a great look when parked
or while cruising down the road. The black vinyl 3-position
convertible top is accented with chrome landau bars, and it is
manually operated and appears to be in fantastic shape. The chrome
and brightwork around the exterior of this Kaiser Sport Roadster
looks great as well and looks to be complete. The fiberglass body
has been correctly refinished in beautiful Red Sail paint
completing the stand-out look of this Darrin. The interior of this
1954 Kaiser Darrin Sports Roadster is absolutely gorgeous! The
bucket seats have been correctly reupholstered in Black vinyl. The
iconic sliding doors work great and are backed by matching black
vinyl door panels and topped with plexiglass wind deflectors. The
black vinyl padded dash, black carpeting, and steering wheel are in
wonderful condition and all appear to remain in their stock
configuration. The instrument cluster is outfitted with a 120 MPH
speedometer, 6,000 RPM tachometer, temperature gauge, battery
gauge, oil pressure gauge, and gasoline gauge. Whether you're
adding to an existing collection of American classic cars or you're
buying your very first classic car, this 1954 Kaiser Darrin Sports
Roadster would make an excellent choice. Give Ellingson's a call
today at 763-428-7337!
*161.1 Cu. In. "Hurricane" F-Head Inline 6
*Single Barrel Carburetor
*90 Horsepower
*3 Speed Manual w/ Overdrive
*Wide Whitewalls on Chrome Wire Wheels
*Southern History
*1 of 435 Kaiser Darrins Produced
*Correct Red Sail Exterior
*Black Vinyl Bucket Seats
*Black Vinyl 3-Position Convertible Top
*Stock Instrumentation
*Odometer Reads: 2,056 Miles
