Kaiser Darrin (1954 to 1954)

The Kaiser Darrin, also known as the Darrin 161, was a series of sports cars introduced for the 1954 model year. The Darrin was named after its designer, famed automotive stylist Howard "Dutch" Darrin. It was offered in a fiberglass two door roadster body style that featured doors were not hinged, but instead sliding into the front wheelwells when opened. The Darrin was built on the same platform as the Kaiser-Frazer Henry J. This platform was powered by a 90hp 2.6L inline six engine which sent drive to the rear wheels via a 3 speed manual transmission. While the Darrin was created to compete with European sports cars, its underpowered engine and high price limited the model's sales. These low sales along with Kaiser's financial problems led to the Darrin being discontinued after the 1954 model year, with only 435 production examples made.