1954 Kaiser Darrin Roadster
- Engine
- 161 cu in (2.6L) F-head inline-six, supercharged (Paxton-McCulloch)
- Colour
- Yellow Satin
The Kaiser-Darrin was America's first production fiberglass sports car, with its origins predating the Corvette and entering production in 1954. Powered by a Willys inline-six, it is distinguished by distinctive sliding 'pocket' doors, a split windshield, and the trademark 'Darrin dip' body contour. This example, chassis number 390, is one of the final production cars and carries rare period accessories: a McCulloch centrifugal supercharger fitted using mounts cast from an original car, and a low-profile removable hardtop produced from Howard Darrin's original tooling. A body-off rotisserie restoration returning it to its original Yellow Satin finish was completed within the four years prior to sale.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$176,000
- —Auction saleSold US$137,500
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Restoration
Full body-off rotisserie restoration carried out professionally over the four years prior to sale, returning the car to its original Yellow Satin colour and fitting several rare period accessories.
Work included installation of a McCulloch supercharger using mounts cast from an original Kaiser-Darrin engine, and fabrication of a removable hardtop from Howard Darrin's original moulds.
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