Dutch's leftover Darrins

[Aeroman]

We haven't talked about this in many years, but has anyone ever been able to document the (alleged) 50 Darrins left over at the factory that Dutch Darrin bought, put Cadillac engines in and sold out of his Hollywood showroom?

[joefrazer]

Here in Ohio, there was rumor of a Cad equipped Darrin that circulated for many years. Then, one day I found the car...but only after it had been GIVEN AWAY! The new owner got it in trade for moving some furniture for the elderly owner. What made it hurt more was that the car was only 2 miles from where I currently reside. I tracked down the new owner and took a close look at the car. The Cad engine was removed in favor of a Chevy small block...but the engine was with the car...as was a LaSalle short throw 3 speed transmission. Years of dirt floor storage took its toll on the metal underpinnings but the car was essentially complete. The owner was unwilling to sell as he planned to restore the car for his then infant daughter.
Fast forward 10 years and I stopped to see the car, only to find that it had been sold...even after I asked for right of first refusal. Oh well. Anyway, the car was sold to a current club member who's asked to remain anonymous.
I have pictures of the car and will locate, scan and post them.

[StillOutThere]

Fred Roth, Darrin owner, knows of one of the Cad powered cars in his neighborhood of Thousand Oaks, CA.

[joefrazer]

As promised, here's a pic of the Cad equipped V8 Darrin that I stumbled upon several years ago. Sorry for the poor pic quality!

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Knowing how Mr. Darrin would have sold the car, all 50 of them probably spent their early years in Southern California.  They were supposed to have been sold out of his Santa Monica CA dealership that was originally a Kaiser-Frazer store when the Kaiser and Frazer cars came out in 1946-47.   I wonder if any of the Darrin-Sold, Darrin-Styled production sedans are still around?

[Gordie]

We know that Darrin converted one of the cars in his shop and a year later he was still advertising it for sale.  The rumor that he bought fifty of them is a fable like Madman Muntz building Kaiser pickups.  Old rumors are hard to change but no one has ever come up with any documentation that either of these ideas were ever even probable.

[Aeroman]

... They were supposed to have been sold out of his Santa Monica CA dealership ...

If I remember correctly (and I might not), Darrin's storefront (pictured in Last Onslaught) was on Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood or West Hollywood.