The Darrin. Beaver Falls, PA
1954 Kaiser Darrin KF161 Satin Yellow Roadster 161ci/90hp
The stunning 1954 Kaiser-Darrin DKF-161 sports car is one of those rare autos that doesn’t look like anything else, with its long, sleek hood, a small and exquisite “pursed-lips” grille, sliding doors and three-position folding top. The beautifully proportioned two-seater also had tapering rear fenders and large teardrop taillights that smoothly blended with its lines. The grille looked like it “wanted to give you a kiss,” one car designer quipped. Landau irons let the folding soft top be locked in an intermediate position, leaving the rear section erect for open-air driving without rear drafts.
Besides the “Darrin dip,” the Kaiser-Darrin had long, forward-jutting front fenders to house the Darrin-patented sliding doors he felt were more sensible than regular swing-out doors. (Chrysler minivans would use sliding doors, decades later.) The fiberglass body came from Glasspar, a pioneer in the use of fiberglass for specialized cars.
The Kaiser-Darrin had bucket seats, full sports-car instrumentation and a floor shifter, as did popular foreign sports cars. At $3,668, the car cost a few bucks more than its chief rival, the Corvette, but nearly as much as an entry level Cadillac Series 62 sedan. The price discouraged some potential buyers.
The Darrin. Beaver Falls, PA
1954 Kaiser Darrin KF161 Satin Yellow Roadster 161ci/90hp
The stunning 1954 Kaiser-Darrin DKF-161 sports car is one of those rare autos that doesn’t look like anything else, with its long, sleek hood, a small and exquisite “pursed-lips” grille, sliding doors and three-position folding top. The beautifully proportioned two-seater also had tapering rear fenders and large teardrop taillights that smoothly blended with its lines. The grille looked like it “wanted to give you a kiss,” one car designer quipped. Landau irons let the folding soft top be locked in an intermediate position, leaving the rear section erect for open-air driving without rear drafts.
Besides the “Darrin dip,” the Kaiser-Darrin had long, forward-jutting front fenders to house the Darrin-patented sliding doors he felt were more sensible than regular swing-out doors. (Chrysler minivans would use sliding doors, decades later.) The fiberglass body came from Glasspar, a pioneer in the use of fiberglass for specialized cars.
The Kaiser-Darrin had bucket seats, full sports-car instrumentation and a floor shifter, as did popular foreign sports cars. At $3,668, the car cost a few bucks more than its chief rival, the Corvette, but nearly as much as an entry level Cadillac Series 62 sedan. The price discouraged some potential buyers.