College Cars: 1954 Kaiser Darrin

This is College Cars, another look into the automobile collection of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Today we're looking at a 1954 Kaiser Darrin roadster.

I have long had a soft spot for the Kaiser Darrin, a fiberglass roadster that was built in small numbers for only one year and primarily because Henry Kaiser's wife liked the concept. Its claim to fame is the way its doors slide into the front fenders rather than hinge outward. The convertible roof is adjustable to have only its front section slide back like a targa top to let the sun in, or be lowered completely. It's no performance car, a Henry J chassis offering only 90 horsepower from a Willys-built six. But you have to admit it's interesting to look at. Cool fact: the last 100 or so Darrins got Cadillac V8s good for 300-plus horses. Now there's your sports car. Shame it was too little, too late.
Near as I can find, this car was purchased at the RM Auctions 2011 Amelia Island event, for $170,500. If this is in fact that vehicle, it was the 20th car built in a series of 435.

College Cars: 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Berlinetta Aerodinamica

This is College Cars, another look into the automobile collection of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Today we're looking at a 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Berlinetta Aerodinamica.

This magnificent machine was developed to race at Le Mans. Well, it appears that this exact one wasn't, but it's a rebody to match the one or two original Aerodinamica coupes built on the 6C 2500 chassis - the latter of which was rare enough in the first place at only 33 examples built. All were created for the purpose of racing, and the original Aerodynamica(s) appear to have been vanished after 1940. This is one of a precious few cars of this type left, and it is really one of a kind. The only other vehicle like it that I know of is an almost identical grey 1942 car that participated in the 2013 California Mille road rally. My few photos do not really do this beast justice.
This rare Alfa was purchased by AAU at the 2010 Gooding & Company Amelia Island auction for $748,000.

College Cars: 1959 Edsel Corsair Convertible

This is College Cars, another look into the automobile collection of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Today we're looking at a 1959 Edsel Corsair.

We all know the story of the Edsel and how it became one of the auto industry's biggest flops. In retrospect, it's hardly the worst car ever made and quite frankly I love them. Perhaps its two greatest flaws were being built on the same assembly line as Fords (causing quality to suffer due to confusion or parts shortage) and daring to be different with a vertical grille that in some ways harks back to the cars of the 1930s. But the public today remembers Edsel mostly as a punchline. I don't think that's fair.
The 1959 Corsair convertible is a rare animal, with only 1,343 built. As the Academy likes to show off their recent additions at the San Francisco International Auto Show every year, and this one appeared at the 2011 show, I assume that it is the multiple award-winning car that sold at Gooding & Company's auction at Amelia Island in 2010, for $99,000. Perhaps the most fascinating detail about this car is its history, as it was built for the 1959 American National Exhibition in Moscow, complete with a metric speedometer. A Soviet official tried to buy the car and, when denied by a Ford PR man, blocked the rep's return visa to the U.S. until a sufficient bribe was placed. After its tour of duty in the Soviet Union, the car at some point ended up in a German museum and later made its way back to the States. It bounced from collector to auction house and back before it ended up in the hands of the Academy of Art. It still has the box of Russian documentation and original spare parts in the trunk from 1959.
As an editorial note, I really don't think the continental kit helps this car at all. Perhaps a rare option or period addition? As huge as the Corsair already is, I'd much prefer it without the big extension. Still an amazing car though.

College Cars: 1933 Lincoln KB Custom Dietrich Convertible Sedan

This is College Cars, a recurring feature about the vehicles of the Academy of Art University car collection. Today we look at this 1933 Lincoln KB, a factory special-order convertible sedan bodied by Dietrich. Fifteen of these cars were built in 1933; only six survive today.

In the 1930s, Lincoln had a catalog that allowed its wealthy clientele to select custom bodies from a variety of coachbuilders. Among these was Dietrich. The KB featured a complex L-head V12 engine displacing 448 cubic inches, good for 150 horsepower.

College Cars: 1947 Cisitalia 202 Cabriolet

This is College Cars, a recurring feature about the Academy of Art University auto collection. Today we're looking at a 1947 Cisitalia 202 that is believed to have once belonged to Argentinian president Juan Peron and his wife Evita.

The Cisitalia cabriolet is an extremely rare car, with only 34 surviving examples in the world today. It's powered by a tiny 1.1 liter four cylinder engine producing just 55 horsepower. It was styled by Battista 'Pinin' Farina. Considering this car was created in 1947, it's a very modern design.

College Cars: 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

This is College Cars, a recurring feature on the vehicles of the Academy of Art University car collection. Today we look at this Cortez Silver 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz.

The Eldorado was Cadillac's halo car in 1959. This was about as opulent and ostentatious as you were going to find in the late 1950s - and the Caddy's iconic tailfins were as high as anyone ever got. Power to move the 5000-lb car came from a 390 cubic inch V8 making 345 horsepower. Only 1,320 of these striking '59 Eldorado convertibles were built.

Lost Vegas: The Imperial Palace Duesenberg Room

In 1998 I visited Las Vegas with my family. I was ten years old and the Imperial Palace Auto Collections was the coolest thing in town for a car-obsessed kid. It advertised itself as the world's largest privately owned collection, some eight hundred vehicles housed in two Imperial Palace hotel facilities in Las Vegas and Biloxi, Mississippi. The cars belonged to collector Ralph Engelstad, a very interesting individual who owned both resorts -- and until 1998 was a co-owner of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Engelstad passed away in 2002 after declaring plans to retire, which included selling off his properties, businesses and car collection. The Biloxi arm of the auto collection was sold in 1999.
As museums go, the presentation of the Auto Collections wasn't the most elegant. The collection is housed on the fifth floor of the resort hotel's parking garage and the space hasn't been updated in a long time. The centerpiece of the collection in that era was the Duesenberg Room, a space dedicated solely to a row of ten million-dollar 1920s and 1930s Duesenbergs. I was blown away.

In 2007 I visited Las Vegas again with Colin and checked out the Imperial Palace Auto Collections again. The space was full of amazing cars, but everything was now for sale. All the cars I remembered were gone. The Duesenberg Room was still there, with the outline of the former sign still visible beside the doorway. But the Duesenbergs were all gone. A lot of the magic had been extinguished.
As of 2013, the Imperial Palace itself is gone. The Asian-themed resort was heavily renovated and rebranded as The Quad Resort & Casino. The Auto Collections remain, apparently untouched in all its industrial carpet and fluorescent-lit glory. I regret that I didn't think to take more photos in the Duesenberg Room with my parents' old Olympus film camera when I had the chance back in 1998.

College Cars: 1959 Autobianchi Bianchina

This is College Cars, a recurring feature on the vehicles of the Academy of Art University collection. Today is April Fool's Day, so let's look at something that's silly and tiny like a clown car. This is a 1959 Autobianchi Bianchina Transformabile semi-convertible.

Autobianchi was a joint effort by bicycle manufacturer Bianchi, carmaker Fiat and tire company Pirelli to build small cars based on Fiat architecture. Bianchi actually made cars before World War II, but was hindered badly when their old factory was destroyed by wartime bombing and company founder Edoardo Bianchi was killed in a car accident. This partnership allowed the company to return to carmaking on a limited basis. The Bianchina was Autobianchi's first model, based on the Fiat 500 but kitted up with a stylish new body and more luxurious features. Among these were a semi-convertible canvas roof insert that slid back on a track to let the sunshine in. This model, called the Transformabile, was the only way customers could have a Bianchina until 1960 when the line was expanded to include other models.
This car was purchased by the Academy of Art University in 2011 and fetched a surprising $82,500.