1961 Daimler SP250 Dart

Lot 343 (A|B|C Live Auction Online, 25th November 2020)

Sold for £28,125

(including buyers premium)

Lot details

Registration No: Un-Reg
Chassis No: 102817
MOT: Exempt

Motor Car Location: Fife

• Purchased by the vendor in July 1997 from dealer John D. Hull of Co. Durham on the basis that it had had ‘one previous owner’, covered ’38,000 miles’ and still wore its ‘original paint’

• Accompanying paperwork includes correspondence between the last registered keeper, George Thompson of Morecambe, and the Daimler Works concerning chassis 102817 undergoing an engine overhaul and replacement rear axle at circa 18,000 miles during August 1964

• Last MOT tested on June 25^th 1997 at an indicated 38,429 miles and dry stored as part of a private collection ever since (the odometer currently shows 38,442 miles)

• Comes with Owner’s Handbook, sales brochure, expired V5 Registration Document (blue and cream) and sundry other literature

• A rare opportunity indeed

Daimler launched their new sports car at the 1959 New York Auto show. The company wanted to crack the American market and the styling had transatlantic overtones to suit. It was originally christened Dart, but Daimler quickly succumbed to the threat of legal action from Chrysler's Dodge division and rebranded it SP250. The newcomer was clothed in a tough fibreglass body and built around a traditional cruciform-braced ladder-frame chassis - the initial A specification version of which was sadly lacking in torsional rigidity. By 1960, Daimler 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 C specification model of 1963 brought additional creature comforts. The jewel in the car's crown was its engine, a silky smooth 2.5-litre V-8 unit designed by Edward Turner. 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. The Motor test of the period quoted a 0-60mph time of 8.9 seconds and top speed of over 120mph.

For more information, please contact:
James McWilliam
james.mcwilliam@handh.co.uk
07943 584760