Kaiser Darrin History

The Kaiser Darrin (officially the Kaiser Darrin 161) was a two-seat sports car designed by Howard 'Dutch' Darrin, instantly recognizable for its doors that slid forward on tracks into the front fenders rather than swinging open, and for its distinctive 'pursed-lips' grille. It rode on a Henry J-derived chassis and used Willys' 161-cubic-inch F-head six making about 90 hp, with a three-speed manual and overdrive.

Its fiberglass body made it the second American production car so built, behind the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette. Darrin had actually shown his prototype in late 1952, before the Corvette debuted, but the production Kaiser Darrin didn't reach showrooms until January 1954 — by which point the Corvette had beaten it to market. Only 435 production cars (plus a handful of prototypes) were built before Kaiser exited the car business; the leftover Darrins, some later fitted with Cadillac V8s by the designer himself, have made it a prized collector car.