Vintage Road Trip To Deer Park Winery & Auto Museum - Dianna Prince
Took a fabo road trip to the amazing Deer Park Winery & Museum! Its just wow ,... the have so many classic cars it is truly amazing! They have so much, so many vintage items its endless! Plus a nice winery and a FABO Barbie Collectibles Room! The shooting possibilities go n and on! The owner and folks who run it are super nice and models are always welcome to shoot there!
Thank you Robert Bennett of San Diego Photo Dude for an awesome shoot!
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Bernardo Winery in Escondido California
Bernardo Winery in Escondido California
KUSI Highlights San Diego Automotive Museum (3)
1954 KAISER DARRIN MODEL KD161 - ONE OF ONLY 435
Video # 1,700 shows this restored and rare Kaiser Darrin sports car. The Kaiser Darrin, also known as the Kaiser Darrin 161 or in short as the Darrin, was an American sports car designed by Howard Dutch Darrin and built by Kaiser Motors in 1954. Essentially a revamp of Kaiser's Henry J compact, the Kaiser Darrin was one of its designer's final achievements and was noted for being the first American car equipped with a fiberglass body and doors that slid on tracks into the front fender wells. The car was named both for Henry J. Kaiser, head of Kaiser Motors, and Darrin. The Darrin was conceived as part of a movement in Detroit to compete head-to-head with European roadsters being imported to and sold in the United States in the post-World-War-II period. Among other products developed were the Ford Thunderbird in its initial two-seat form and Chevrolet Corvette. While the Darrin was designed attractively, it was also underpowered and, while a good performer overall, did not measure up to foreign vehicles such as the Nash-Healey or Triumph TR2. The Darrin's high price tag, lack of consumer confidence in Kaiser's viability and practical challenges with the car's design resulted in low sales, though sports cars at the time were generally not fast sellers. Only 435 production Darrins and six prototypes were built. Crumbling corporate finances, pending loss of assembly facilities and a freak snowstorm that reportedly ruined 50 of the cars all conspired to terminate the program. Darrin bought those 50 vehicles and whatever others Kaiser had left in storage and sold those from his Hollywood, California showroom. Many of the cars' engines were retrofitted with superchargers and multiple carburation to improve performance. Six were re-engined with Cadillac Eldorado V-8 units; one of these was reportedly raced. Along with Darrin's trademark fender line, the Kaiser Darrin had entry doors that, instead of being hinged to open outward, slid on tracks into the front fender wells behind the front wheels. Fueled by Darrin's dislike for conventional doors, the designer had taken out a patent on the sliding auto door concept in 1946. To keep the door assembly as simple as possible, no side windows were built into them. The car was equipped with a three-position Landau top, which was also considered novel, and the design on the whole considered by industry critics and writers as beautifully proportioned. When the car finally hit the market, its price, at $3668, was higher than the Cadillac 62 or Lincoln Capri luxury cars but came equipped with tachometer, electric windshield wipers, tinted windshield, windwings and whitewall tires. Because of the car's price and lack of performance, sales were low. The Darrin's unexceptional road performance did not help. A Willys Hurricane-6 produced 90 horsepower, which allowed the car to reach a top speed of just 95 miles per hour and go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in around 15 seconds. While this was faster than the inexpensive MG TF, it was slower than the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider and Triumph TR2. Compared to the larger-engined Corvette, Nash-Healey and Jaguar XK120, the Darrin was completely outclassed. The Kaiser Darrin is another example of post-war innovations to contribute to the American auto industry. Thanks very much for viewing this 1954 Kaiser Darrin sports car.
Rare 1957 Lincoln Premiere convertible
A gorgeous, rare 1957 Lincoln convertible at Deer Park Auto Museum in Escondido, California. Less than 4,000 of these were made. Video by John Douglas Parran
1954 Kaiser Darrin 161 - Gateway Classic Cars of Fort Lauderdale #122
This beautiful 1954 Kaiser Darrin 161 is for sale in our Fort Lauderdale Showroom. Built by Kaiser Motors in 1954, the American sports car was designed by Howard Darrin. Essentially a revamp of Kaiser’s Henry J compact, the Kaiser Darrin was noted for being the first American car equipped with a fiberglass body and for having door that slid on tracks into the front fender wells. The Darrin was conceived as part of a movement to compete head-to-head with the European roadsters being imported and sold in the United States in the post-World-War-II period. As a designer, one of Darrin’s trademarks was that of a sweeping fender line which descended gently along the side of the car until it reached a “dip” at the head of the rear fender. Along with Darrin's trademark fender line, the Kaiser Darrin had entry doors that, instead of being hinged to open outward, slid on tracks into the front fender wells behind the front wheels. The 1954 Darrin for sale is equipped with a three-position Landau top, which was considered novel at the time, and the design on the whole is beautifully proportioned. The only flaw was considered the car's front grille. High and shell-shaped, it looked as though the automobile wanted to give you a kiss, as one writer commented. Champagne Lacquer white adorns the exterior, while the interior features color-keyed red vinyl bucket seats. The instruments are clustered ahead of the steering wheel from a white display that matches the exterior of the vehicle, and the rest of the dash is padded red to mirror the rest of sleek and elegant interior. White wall radial tires around steel wheels with original hub caps complete the look of this American sports car. The power plant for this ’54 Darrin for sale is a 161 CID F-head 6-cylinder engine matched to a 3-speed manual transmission with overdrive. With quick steering, and a braking system that was borrowed from the much heavier Kaiser Manhattan, the Darrin is easy to drive. Crumbling corporate finanes, the pending loss of assembly facilities and a freak snowstorm all conspired to terminate the program. In the end only 435 production Darrins were built. Options include: vinyl interior; seatbelts; hubcaps; radial white wall tires; manual convertible top. Located in our Fort Lauderdale Showroom this 1954 Kaiser Darrin 161 can be seen including HD pictures and videos at GatewayClassicCars.com, or call 954-227-4202 for additional information.
1954 Kaiser Darrin Walkaround
Hello again, here we have a video walkaround of a 1954 Kaiser Darrin convertible that is powered by an inline engine. A cool feature of this car is the fact that the doors are on rails and slide up into the fender. Thank You for watching.
Here is some information from Wikipedia about this automobile:
The Kaiser Darrin, also known as the Kaiser Darrin 161 or in short as the Darrin, was an American sports car designed by Howard Dutch Darrin and built by Kaiser Motors in 1954. Essentially a revamp of Kaiser's Henry J compact, the Kaiser Darrin was one of its designer's final achievements and was noted for being the first American car equipped with a fiberglass body and doors that slid on tracks into the front fender wells. The car was named both for Henry J. Kaiser, head of Kaiser Motors, and Darrin.
The Darrin was conceived as part of an movement in Detroit to compete head-to-head with European roadsters being imported to and sold in the United States in the post-World-War-II period. Among other products developed were the Ford Thunderbird in its initial two-seat form and Chevrolet Corvette. While the Darrin was designed attractively, it was also underpowered and, while a good performer overall, did not measure up to foreign vehicles such as the Nash-Healey or Triumph TR2. The Darrin's high price tag, lack of consumer confidence in Kaiser's viability and practical challenges with the car's design resulted in low sales, though sports cars at the time were generally not fast sellers.
Only 435 production Darrins and six prototypes were built. Crumbling corporate finances, pending loss of assembly facilities and a freak snowstorm that reportedly ruined 50 of the cars all conspired to terminate the program. Darrin bought those 50 vehicles and sold those and whatever others Kaiser had left in storage from his Hollywood, California showroom. Many of the cars' engines were retrofitted with superchargers and multiple carburation to improve performance. Six were re-engined with Cadillac Eldorado V-8 units; one of these was reportedly raced.
Bancroft Ranch House - San Diego Tourism
Spring Valley heritage destination, the Bancroft Ranch House, one of the earliest settlements in San Diego's Spring Valley area.