This 1954 Kaiser Darrin (Chassis 3495321) is a complete and driving project. Mostly in need of cosmetic restoration, this functional example has a design almost too quirky to be found on a production car. Find it here on eBay in Houston, Texas with no reserve beyond an unmet $76k starting bid. Special thanks to BaT reader Kyle K. for this submission.

Under all the wild styling, this car shares most of its underpinnings with the Kaiser Henry J. The chassis was modified to allow the car to sit lower, but the rest should be familiar to lovers of the compact. The three position landau top remains on the car, but is in tatters and will likely only be good as a template. From the underbody shots, the frame appears to be in fair shape with no obvious holes, and the fiberglass bodywork is undamaged. The sliding doors are said to open and close perfectly.

The stylist responsible for this car had a fairly varied career, and rebodied everything from Fords to Packards, all of which featured the “Darrin Dip” between the door and rear quarter. Just after the Second World War Darrin proposed making cars from fiberglass in large volumes, but didn’t realize a fiberglass production car until this model. This example is said to have good glass, and retains its wind defelectors on the A-pillar- handy, as the sliding doors do not permit roll-up side windows.

The interior is all original, and will require attention virtually everywhere. Thankfully everything appears intact, which will be valuable when the car is restored. Check out the individual hoods over each of the gauges in lieu of a recessed instrument cluster.

Typical of early post-war American sports cars, the engine is one of this car’s weakest links. These cars were fitted with a 90 horsepower variant of Willys-Overland’s Hurricane six. While stout and reliable, this left the car lacking in performance even compared to the 150 horsepower Blue Flame powered Corvette. This car is said to be driveable, idle well and has recently rebuilt brakes, and a transmission that shifts easily. The undercarriage shots are promising, showing a car with very minimal serious corrosion.

With so few produced, Darrins are rare in any form. What this driveable project may lack in performance it certainly makes up in charisma.