1954 Kaiser Darrin: A Rare Fiberglass Sports Car
Howard Darrin’s Two-Seater Should Have Succeeded
May 5, 2009
Kaiser-Frazer was established in 1945 and built its first cars, the Kaiser and Frazer sedans, for 1947. Conventional front-engine-rear-drive models, they used flathead sixes and three-speed manual transmissions under modern slabsided bodies. They differed mainly in trim, but when most competitors were building their 1942 models with minor changes and calling them new, K-F’s cars were visual standouts.
Good Years Bring New Ideas
K-F quickly took off and for 1949, the product line grew. Cutting an opening into the rear roof and hinging both a hatch and a tailgate resulted in a pair of Kaiser utility sedans and while Frazer had no direct equivalent, the two brands that year shared the more interesting four-door hardtop and convertible.
The hardtop wasn’t the pillarless car that the name implies, as it used a glass B-pillar, but it was nevertheless attractive. The convertible, though, used the same glass B pillar and added side-window frames that remained fixed when the glass was lowered. Kaiser called it a convertible sedan while the Frazer was a Manhattan convertible; either way, it looked better with the top up.
Facing Off Against Detroit
Kaiser-Frazer had gotten off to a good start because of both postwar demand and the fact that it really was building all-new cars. Neither of those conditions could last, of course, and the diminishing sellers’ market combined with competitors’ all-new models would turn on K-F.
It happened in 1949, leaving unsold cars to be retitled as 1950 models and delaying production of a new body designed by Howard Darrin. When it appeared for 1951, Frazer used it for one year before dying while Kaiser used it – with several facelifts – through 1955 in American production before taking it to Argentina.
Kaiser Tries To Compete Despite Fewer Sales Dwindling Funds
Kaiser was in one of the worst possible positions in that it couldn’t afford to keep up, the beginning of a vicious cycle that would further reduce sales. In 1951, it had introduced the compact Henry J, which in retrospect seems odd; a V-8 was then a marketing necessity and the money that created the Henry J probably could have given Kaiser that engine. The fact that the Henry J lasted only through 1954 suggests that Kaiser made the wrong choice, but as if that weren’t enough, 1954 also saw it buy Willys-Overland.
Operations went from Willow Run, Michigan to Toledo, Ohio. Kaiser now had the Jeep, which ultimately proved a success, but it was of little help in the short term; Willys passenger cars were doing no better than Kaisers.
The Kaiser Darrin Two-seater Enters The Storm
The Henry J was an unfortunate experience for Kaiser, but it gave Howard Darrin the chance to design a two-seater and get it into production. Based on the Henry J's mechanicals, the Darrin went on sale in January 1954 and it’s difficult to understand how that happened at that point; Kaiser sales for the entire model year would amount to less than 10,000 cars and management must have known what was coming.
Whatever its reasoning, Kaiser went ahead with a fiberglass-bodied sports car that weighed just 2175 pounds, rode a 100-inch wheelbase and relied on a 90-hosepower, 161-cubic-inch six. It wasn’t an exact match for the better-known fiberglass two-seater from Chevrolet – the 1954 Corvette used a 150-horsepower 235, was more than 500 pounds heavier and cost about $150 less – but its performance and economy were adequate.
The Darrin was every bit as noticeable as the Corvette, though, thanks to its unusual grille that seems far too small to pass enough cooling air. The side view is smooth and clean with a slightly European-looking dip in the beltline at the door. Its most unusual features are the top that can be placed in an intermediate position and the doors that slide into the front fenders and disappear.
Kaiser Moves To Argentina, The Darrin Moves To California
That wasn’t enough and the Kaiser Darrin was discontinued after just 435 sales of 1954 models. It was, however, one of the few cars to be given a second chance; Kaiser built its last cars in North America in 1955, but Howard Darrin bought the remaining roadster bodies, completed them and sold them under his own name through 1958. He switched to non-removable hardtops, installed Cadillac V-8s and ended up selling 50 examples.
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