1954 Kaiser Darring

Pure class…

Kaiser Dragon

The roof says it all on this car. The top is practically made of dark dragon scales and is one of the coolest automobiles to drive the streets.

1953 Kaiser Dragon

The introduction of the 1951 and 1953 Kaiser Dragon models introduced the public to cars with unique colors and textures.

Where others at Kaiser-Frazer may have seen just another car in the redesigned 1951 Kaisers, Carleton Spencer saw a high-fashion model worthy of being dressed to the nines in wonderful colors and intriguing new textures.

There would never have been a Kaiser Dragon were it not for Carleton B. Spencer, and Spencer would have been a cipher were it not for Kaiser-Frazer. He was later astonished that anyone remembered him or his work, but his work was worth recalling.

Carleton Spencer invented the Kaiser Dragon, a marketplace flop. No one is sure about the number produced: about 1,600 at the outside over two model years, 1951 and 1953. But this rare and fascinating failure was a pioneer in automotive color and trim. Had General Motors invented it, the Dragon would probably be with us yet as some jelly-bean-shaped luxury sedan with fake lizardskin upholstery.

Design & Styling

1953 Kaiser Dragon

Initially set up by car people, Kaiser-Frazer was soon taken over by Henry J. Kaiser’s West Coast construction boffins, who wrecked it. They had a hundred new ideas a day, of which three on average were good. Fortunately for history, one of their good ideas was to hire Carleton Spencer, and his idea was to bring new patterns and colors to the automobile interior. The Dragon was his masterwork.

the redesigned 1951 Kaisers came with two or four doors, but Spencer’s original problem remained: There just wasn’t much visual difference between the various models. Also, there was still only one six-cylinder engine, and no hardtop, convertible, or station wagon. (Kaiser-Frazer contemplated all three, as well as a V-8, but never had the money for production).

Although things didn’t look good for Kaiser-Frazer, Carleton Spencer didn’t give up. He was on the verge of creating the best Dragons of all — the 1953 Dragon models.

Brochures called it a hardtop because it seemed like a good idea to use a popular term, but this was no pillarless coupe. It was just another four-door sedan, albeit spectacularly furnished. The 1953 Dragon represented the zenith of Carleton Spencer’s career.

Interior


Technical Specs

Technical Specifications

Dragons were actually the first 1953 Kaisers announced (in September 1952), probably because they wouldn’t compete with the similar, leftover 1952 model. Two months later the company added a novel variation painted bright Frosted Holly Green (a fancier name for Tropical Green metallic), with two-tone vinyl interior and a white poplin-grained canvas top.

Kaisers were powered by an anemic flathead six that had started life as an industrial engine, and though the 1951-vintage chassis was superbly balanced, it was conventional in every respect.

  • Year:
    1953

  • Color:
    White

  • Engine
    226.2 cc

  • Type:
    1953 Kaiser Dragon

  • 0-60 mph:
    11 seconds

  • Top Speed:
    106 MPH

  • Transmission
    automatic transmission

  • Body/Chassis
    four-door sedan

Cool Facts

There are a lot of near misses and “what-could-have-been” in the automotive world. The 1953 Kaiser-Darrin is one. This interesting looking car struggled to make production and even after it did, did not make the impact that its creator Dutch Darrin envisioned.
The Kasier-Darin also has the distinction og being the first fiberglass sportscar beating the upcoming Corvette to the market by six months. The car’s frame weighed only 300lbs and was produced by the Glasspar Corporation.



 

Comments are closed.