1962 Daimler SP250 Dart

Lot details
Registration No: EU-Reg
Chassis No: 100843
Mot Expiry: None

Daimler launched their new sports car at the New York Motorshow of 1959. They wanted to crack the American market and the styling had transatlantic overtones to suit. The car was originally called the Dart, but Daimler quickly succumbed to the threat of legal action from Chrysler's Dodge division and rechristened it the SP250. The newcomer was clothed in a tough fibreglass body and built around a traditional cruciform-braced ladder-frame chassis, the initial version of which (as found on 'A' specification cars), was sadly lacking in torsional rigidity. By 1960, the Daimler Motor Company was in Jaguar's hands and the so-called 'B' specification SP250s featured a much stiffer frame, equipped with additional outriggers and a strengthening hoop between the B posts. The jewel in the car's crown was its engine, a silky smooth 2.5-litre V-8 unit designed by Edward Turner and featuring the revolutionary hemispherical combustion chamber technology he pioneered on his Triumph motorcycle engines. With 140bhp on tap and a low all-up weight, the Daimler's performance was strong and the sound was one to savour. Suspension was independent with wishbones and coil springs at the front and a live axle hung on leaf springs at the rear. Braking was by hydraulically-operated discs all-round. According to the Motor magazine test of the period, the SP250 could accelerate to 60mph in a creditable 8.9 seconds and continue on to a top speed of 123.7mph.

The 1962 'B' specification SP250 on offer is a right-hand drive example finished in Navy Blue and trimmed in Grey. It apparently moved from the UK mainland to Dublin some 10-12 years ago and is understood to have been the beneficiary of considerable expenditure in relation to the bodywork, paintwork, interior trim, carpets etc. The vendor now regards the bodywork, paintwork and engine as "excellent" and the paintwork as "like new".