This beautifully proportioned two-seater was called the Kaiser-Darrin because it came from the wealthy industrialist Henry J. Kaiser’s fairly large Kaiser-Frazer Auto Company and was designed by legendary custom coach builder, Howard “Dutch” Darrin.

This stunning 1954 Kaiser-Darrin DKF-161 sports car is one of those rare automobiles that doesn’t look like anything else with its long, sleek hood, a small and exquisite “pursed-lips” grille, as well as incorporating his patented, sliding “pocket” doors and three-position convertible top, called the “Deauville” top. Bodies were supplied by Glasspar Boat Company, a pioneer in the use of fiberglass for specialized cars. The beautifully proportioned two-seater also had tapering rear fenders and large teardrop taillights that smoothly blended with its surrounding 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 into an intermediate position, leaving the rear section erect for open-air driving without rear drafts.

Darrin, the first production fiberglass sports car in the U.S.A., beat the Corvette to market by one month. Always a forward thinker, Mr. Darrin recognized the benefits of fiberglass construction. The featured sliding pocket doors were uniquely designed to recess into the fender cavity of the car and are still a most discussed aspect of this fine car to this very day. A 161-cid, 91-hp F-head Willys six-cylinder was chosen as the powerplant (Kaiser had bought Willys in 1953) and acceleration was lively enough for the time with the standard three-speed manual overdrive transmission, because the car weighed in at only 2,750 pounds. It also delivered around 30 miles to the gallon, but the Kaiser-Darrin was deemed more of a stylish cruiser than an outright sports car, with plenty of luggage space. The car could run at nearly 100-mph.

At $3,668 it was expensive – more than a Series 62 Cadillac or a Lincoln Capri – but came with lots of standard equipment: a three-position landau top, tinted windshield with washers and a tachometer. Only 435 Darrins were built during the 1954 model year, the only year of production.