A RARE BREED INDEED: The Kaiser Darrin Blends Hollywood Glitz with European Sports Car Flair
April 14, 2015
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
There’s quite a story to how the Kaiser Darrin came to be. This 1954 Kaiser Darrin Convertible (Lot #438) will be crossing the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach block on Saturday, April 18.
Trunk detail shows the distinctive Kaiser Darrin badge.
When the United States entered World War II, all domestic passenger automobile production ceased, with factories turning to help the war effort through manufacturing armaments, aircraft and military vehicles. Following the war’s conclusion, initial automobile production was held up by the retooling process and material shortages. Gradually the industry regained momentum, and in the late 1940s and through the 1950s, there was a striking expansion of motor vehicle production. For the automotive industry, it was a time to apply lessons learned from wartime manufacturing and explore the possibilities of slab-side, integrated fender design. The days of separate, rounded fender design were in the rear view mirror. It was also a great time for sports car evolution.
After World War II, wealthy industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, with an eye toward postwar motor vehicle needs, teamed with automotive executive Joseph Frazer to form the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation in mid-1945. Kaiser, a builder of all things utilitarian such as ships and highways, was not prone to applying form over function. Yet, in 1946, the company brought Howard “Dutch” Darrin on board as a freelance designer. The American designer built his reputation by coach-building in Paris back in the 1920s and then heading for Hollywood in the late 1930s.
Interior of the Kaiser Darrin.
In Tinseltown, Darrin worked with Packard, developing his trademark sweeping fender line that sloped gently along the side of the car. The design often culminated in the “Darrin Dip” at the top of each door. Establishing Coachcraft, Inc., on the Sunset Strip, Darrin built coachwork for the likes of Errol Flynn, Carole Lombard and Clark Gable. With timeless and glamorous styling, Packard Darrins are highly sought-after collectibles today. With his reputation as a designer well established, Darrin longed to manufacture and sell an advanced and stylish automobile of his own design, but the postwar shortage of raw materials caused him to put his personal dream on hold. Instead, he outsourced his talent to other manufacturers, including Kaiser-Frazer.
The relationship between Darrin, Kaiser and the company was a tempestuous on-again, off-again one that resulted in the designer resigning more than once. The issue seemed to be one of “artistic differences,” with the civic-minded company chief generally discarding Darrin’s coachwork-inspired designs for more conventional, less attractive shapes. When Darrin’s design for the 1951 Kaiser known as the Henry J was rejected for a more staid arrangement, he took matters into his own hands.
Dutch Darrin took a risk and developed his prototype car behind Henry J. Kaiser’s back.
In Detroit, there was growing awareness of the European roadsters being imported to and sold in America. With two-seaters from Europe coming stateside in increasing numbers, American designers from major automakers to smaller independents began scrambling to compete in this realm. Darrin, with his French coach-building background and Hollywood inspiration, was one such designer. Using his own funds and going behind Kaiser’s back, Darrin produced a two-seat roadster prototype made of glass-reinforced plastic, or GRP – today better known as fiberglass. Dutch Darrin’s car would join a long list of iconic collector cars borne from renegade designs, but not before one more battle with his boss, Henry Kaiser.
When he presented the finished prototype to Kaiser, Darrin received a less-than-enthusiastic response that the company was not in the business of manufacturing sports cars. The car before you may have never existed were it not for Kaiser’s young new wife, Alyce Chester Kaiser. She thought it was beautiful, and managed to change her husband’s mind.
Darrin’s innovatively designed doors slid into the front fender wells.
The Kaiser Darrin prototype was unveiled to the public in September 1952, edging out the unveiling of similar projects from rival manufacturers: the Thunderbird and the Corvette. Due to delays, however, Kaiser Darrin production models didn’t hit the showrooms until January 1954.
The striking 1954 Kaiser Darrin (Lot #438)crossing the block at Barrett-Jackson’s 2015 Palm Beach Auction on Saturday is No. 393 of only 435 ever built, and is exceptional for its provenance, as the car was previously owned by “Dutch” Darrin himself.
This rare and historically significant automobile is a testament to Darrin’s innovative design capabilities, featuring his trademark fender line and remarkable entry doors that slide on tracks into the front fender wells behind the front wheels. The car, which exudes period Hollywood glamour, also has a three-position Landau top – considered novel at the time – that can be open, closed or partially open to expose only the front seats. This lifelong California car has received a total body-off restoration. “This car is fantastic,” says the consignor. “I’m quite familiar with exotics in the collector car world, and I tend to get a little jaded. But this struck me as something really, really unique. The condition is flawless.”
The “rosebud” front grille prompted many to say it “always looked like the car was going to give you a kiss.”
Apparently the judges at the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance agreed, as the car won Best in Class and Sponsor’s Choice award at the 2015 event. Resplendent in its original and striking color combination of Yellow Satin with matching interior and top, the Darrin has a 161ci/80hp L-Head 6-cylinder Willys engine with a 3-speed manual overdrive transmission, chrome wire wheels, wide whitewalls, heater and those patented pocket doors. Once inside Dutch’s Kaiser Darrin, it’s easy to picture yourself cruising beneath swaying palm trees – be it in south Florida or Hollywood, California.
As it crosses the block, take note of that “rosebud” front grille – considered by many to be a charming style element that made the car “always look like it wanted to give you a kiss.”