Darrin front fender...not a medallion?

[njpatera]

Greetings...just found some pics from 1956 when my dad got his Darrin...he bought it as a demo model from the dealer...it does not have the medallions on the fenders I see on most pics, but flag badges and the wire caps...The badges are no longer on the car:-/ but could anyone shed some light on this? I'll post the pics when I fire up the computer...my phone cannot convert to the proper format...

[njpatera]

TY for the link to the thread...obviously I missed that one:-)

[joefrazer]

The flag medallions would have either come from another make of car or from the aftermarket. KF didn't use them but they do look good on a Darrin. Also, the mirrors on the pictured car look a lot like those on my 54 Manhattan. If you remove one and look on the underside, you'll probably see a FOMOCO emblem. I've seen quite a few 54s and 55s with this style mirror. Apparently, they were quite popular.

[njpatera]

Cool pic Jake, but in speaking with my mom and expanding the car pic...it was not a medallion, but Darrin flags where the normal medallions would have been. Again, when he bought it from his fellow Army bud whose father owned the dealership in 1956; I'm going to have to agree with the previous post...aftermarket add on from the dealership or simply customized. The flags do look nice. Searching through pics and parts to see if I can come up with them to see if they some how were custom create Darrin flags...

Regarding the mirrors: sadly they are no longer on the car to confirm, but they do nicely match my '55 Victoria, so probably fomoco...did kaiser have their own side view mirrors? Or were Darrins just customized with other brands?

[Terry T]

Those flags may be 1972 Corvette.

[njpatera]

It would have to be earlier Terry as the picture was taken in 1956( I found 1 more pic, but from 1957 and the badge isn't as clear as previous pic)....that's where it throws me. I don't recall an early Corvette badge like that in the '50s(I definitely plead ignorance) only chevy I owned was a later '78 vette, so I'm at a loss. It was purchased locally in Ohio..I wonder if it could have been a dealer script/badge?

[joefrazer]

That's Blanche Mericle in the sunglasses. Her husband Ken was president of the club around the time this picture was taken. The meet location is in Michigan and it was one of, if not the first, Seaway meets. My father and I rode to that same meet in my uncle's black 54 Manhattan that he purchased from Kaiser Jeep in Toledo. I don't remember what he paid for the car but I do recall that it had a red leather interior with a gray dash and steering wheel.

[njpatera]

Lol...a year later and I finally solved it!  I stumbled upon another old picture I hadn't seen before and was still confused as to what the "flag" badges were that were once on the old man's Darrin...anyway I found another pic from 1957 in front of the old garage at the farm...badges/flags where medallions should be, but the oldman's car had the full dress spokes and not the regular covers...recently I was at our Ford club's Christmas banquet and talking Fords of course...and it hit me...1955 Thunderbird fuel door badge, minus the ford crest...that's what they were! Obviously not factory, but semi-dealer installed (kind of) since it was the dealers son's originally...one mystery put to rest!