Sale of Kaiser-Frazer Collection Includes Rare Kaiser-Darrin, Unique Carabela

A remarkable collection of Kaiser-Frazer vehicles is coming up for auction this weekend in rural Hartville, Ohio, about 20 miles southeast of Akron, as part of the sale of collector James Westfall’s estate. The November 2 sale features two particularly interesting classics once owned by Westfall: a rare 1954 Kaiser-Darrin and a 1961 Carabela, the latter originally owned by industrialist Edgar Kaiser. If you’re a fan of Kaiser, but you don’t happen to live near Ohio, know that Kiko Auctions, which is organizing the sale, will accept live online bids for the lots.

Westfall, who passed away in 2022 at age 99, amassed an impressive collection of classic vehicles. In 1948, he bought his first Kaiser, because he didn’t have enough money to purchase a new Chevrolet. He later traded the Kaiser for a 1957 model from the same company and also owned another from 1953. However, those vehicles were just normal daily drivers for him. Westfall didn’t get into collecting until 1981, when he joined an antique car club for Goodyear employees in Akron. He bought a 1955 Kaiser Manhattan in 1982. A 1953 Allstate, a 1951 Frazer, and a 1951 Henry J were the next models to go into his ever-expanding garage.

Kaiser-Darrin

The 1954 Kaiser-Darrin is one of the more impressive lots in this auction. Westfall bought the car in 1993, and it was largely apart in boxes at that time. The Yellow Satin body color particularly attracted him to this one, though. Westfall and his wife spent about a year putting the machine back together. They finished the work in time to take the sporty convertible to a show in Nashville, where it won a silver medal.

This Darrin has serial number 1098, indicating this is the 98th example off the line. The odometer shows 29,901 miles. The inline-six engine connects to a three-speed manual transmission with overdrive.

Kaiser made just 435 examples of the Darrin and built all of them in 1954. Prices started at $3688, well above the cost of contemporary competitors like the 1954 Chevrolet Corvette, which had a base price of $2774, and the 1955 Ford Thunderbird, which started at $2695.

Designer Howard “Dutch” Darrin crafted a two-seat convertible with a smoothly shaped body that followed the contemporary mid-century styling aesthetic. Like the Corvette, the Darrin uses a fiberglass body. Its most striking feature is that the doors slide forward to hide inside the front fenders. This layout creates a wide opening, making getting into and out of the cabin easy.

The vast majority of Darrins use a naturally aspirated 3.7-liter F-head inline-six engine, making just 90 horsepower. The transmission options include a three-speed manual, an overdrive-equipped version of this car’s gearbox, and an automatic. 

The October 1954 issue of Motor Life indicates a Darrin needs 16.3 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour and has a top speed of 96.4 mph. These humble figures mean that the Darrin is more of a boulevard cruiser than a hardcore sports car. A few of these models have a supercharged version of the powerplant, boosting the output to 110 hp for slightly better performance.

Hagerty’s price guide shows that a Kaiser-Darrin in rough but running (#4) condition is worth about $54,000. An #2 (excellent) example would go for around $93,600. A car in perfect, concours-winning shape would be roughly $148,000. RM Sotheby’s sold car number 99 for $78,400 at its Monterey auction in 2024.

To complement his Darrin, Westfall bought a pedal car replica of it from a Kaiser club member. He used to display the pair together at shows. Kiko is offering the little Darrin as a separate lot from the full-sized vehicle.

Kaiser Carabela

Westfall’s 1961 Kaiser Carabela is another exceptional vehicle up for grabs. Kaiser’s factory in Argentina built this specific car as a gift to Edgar Kaiser, the son of company founder Henry Kaiser and the president of the Kaiser Industries Corporation.

This special Carabela features a special turquoise blue body with lots of chrome trim. The interior is done in black leather on the dashboard, linen-colored seating surfaces with blue and black accents, a blue vinyl headliner, and black carpet. Its 3.7-liter inline-six makes 115 hp, and the odometer shows 21,396 miles. According to Westfall’s documentation, the car originally came with an automatic transmission, but there’s now a manual gearbox with a column-mounted shifter.

The Carabela was a product of Kaiser creating a subsidiary to build vehicles in Argentina. Introduced in 1958, the model was a rebadged Kaiser Manhattan with a strengthened frame and revised suspension spring rates to deal with the rough roads in Argentina at the time. The sedan’s assembly lasted through 1962.

Since Kaiser made the Carabela specifically for the Argentine market, few of them made it to the United States. According to Westfall’s documentation, just four were in the U.S. at one point. Westfall acquired the vehicle near Seattle in 1986 after seeing a sales listing for it in a Kaiser-Frazer enthusiast bulletin. He was its fourth owner.

Hagerty doesn’t monitor the Carabela market, because it’s a foreign vehicle that seldom comes up for sale in America. However, a Kaiser Manhattan in #4 condition would be worth $10,100 to $11,600, according to its price guide.

More for Sale

In addition to the Carabela and the Darrin, other vehicles up for auction include a 1950 Kaiser four-door, 1950 Kaiser Virginian four-door, 1951 Frazer F515 four-door, 1953 Allstate, 1955 Kaiser Manhattan four-door, and a 1959 Cadillac DeVille four-door.  

The auction includes a good variety of other items as well, including Kaiser-Frazer sales banners, a boxed Tucker auto radio and automatic radio control head, and several Case tractors.

Westfall’s extraordinary collection could be the find of a lifetime for Kaiser fans. His garage is a treasure trove of mid-century vehicles looking for a new home, and we look forward to seeing how classic car fans react to the opportunity to purchase such an impressive collection.

Kiko Auctions will begin taking pre-bids for the vehicles and the other lots on Wednesday, October 30. The company will simulcast the sale online on November 2 and will accept bids live at the estate sale and online. 

Thanks to Westfall’s daughter, Sheila Hampton, for allowing me to visit the property to take photos and for providing the documents chronicling her father’s ownership of these vehicles.