Dutch Darrin’s beautiful two-seater arrived when Corvette was in its second year
and certainly couldn’t live up to its marketing slogan: The Sports Car The World
Has Been Awaiting.
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By the time the Kaiser-Darrin, with its sexy two-seat body with sliding doors by boat-builder Glasspar and power by Willys, was available to purchasers in 1954, it was more expensive than a new Corvette, Cadillac or Lincoln. While some Darrins were fitted with McCullough centrifugal superchargers and trick multi-carb manifolds, stockers could not hold their own against six-banger Corvettes. The Kaiser-Darrin turned out to be a one-year wonder and even Dutch Darrin’s styling couldn’t save it. Restored stock Kaiser-Darrin, above, is owned by Sarasota Cafe Racer, Bill Miller.
Of the 435 built, Darrin ended up purchasing approximately 100 leftovers for engine conversions and new badging. He replaced anemic 90-horsepower Willys Flatheads with modified 230-to-300-horsepower Cadillac V8s. The Specials were priced at $4,350 and sold by Darrin at his Los Angeles showroom. In 1955 the potent 140-mph Kaiser-Darrin Special had an edge over the Ford T-Bird, new V8 Corvette and most imported sports cars. How many were actually converted and sold is a mystery, but the extremely rare ‘55 Kaiser-Darrin Special combined the best attributes of a highly stylized sporty car and a hot rod.
Mike Gulett blogs about the Kaiser-Darrin at
http://mycarquest.com/2012/12/1954-kaiser-darrin-the-first-usa-made-fiberglass-sports-car.html
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