Here is a beautiful, restored, 1954 Kaiser-Darrin sports car that is one of the very early cars and is serial number 10 of 435 Darrins ever built during the only year of production. 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.

The first American sports car with its prototype introduced even before that of the Corvette and Thunderbird. Always a forward thinker, Darrin recognized the benefits of fiberglass construction 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.

This particular car is considered one of the early Experimental cars primarily due to the amount of inconsistencies present in its construction compared to other Darrins produced. The engine in this car is a good example. There was an ongoing effort at the Willow Run Plant to develop significant improvements in Kaiser-Frazer’s production engines. In conjunction with noted designer Brooks Stevens, a modified Henry J six-cylinder engine was built utilizing three carburetors, special cam and a specially designed Edmunds aluminum head. Included are factory photographs of this project and what could very possibly be this very car during the development. Of course this project was eventually scraped and the Willys F-head six-cylinder was used on virtually all the subsequent Darrins.

They also experimented with possible wheel choices and also included are factory photos, again probably of this car with these same painted wire wheels which, of course, never made it to production. The sliding door rail system on this car is very unique and never seen before on any other cars. There are other differences from the rest of the production run, but there is no doubt that this is a rare and desirable classic sports car.

It sports its original color combination of Champagne (White) with Red X-Stitched Vinyl interior and matching Red three-position convertible top. The car received a body-off restoration several years ago and has been driven and enjoyed on a limited basis since then. It is still in exceptional condition. The paint and interior are sharp and the chrome is gorgeous. The engine runs great and it is a blast to drive. The Darrin has truly unique styling with a front that “always looked like it wanted to give you a kiss.”