Daimler DB18 1908
General description :
1908 Daimler 30hp Poppet valve.
Registration number: CE4786
Rare and interesting; This beautiful Edwardian in one of two examples known in existence. It was the last year of production prior to Daimler switching from poppetvalve to sleeve valve engines & final drive is by shaft; a combination only found in 1908 as prior to that all poppet valve cars were chain driven. The car is VSCC dated & comes with the requisite dating plaque.
The 5.0 four cylinder engine has just undergone major works including the white metaling of the big end bearings & fitment of a pressure based lubrication system with a crank oil gallery & discreet belt driven oil pump to replace the original splash cup system. It is also fitted with an electric button activated starter.
The car was supplied new to one W. Sindall, a Cambridge builder of note & spent almost its entire life there until passing into the present 4th ownership. The second owner bough it at auction in 1935 from the estate of the original owner. The third owner was note vintage car aficionado Peter Garner of Landbeach near Cambridge.
The car has just had some £20,000 spent on it at noted specialists Classic Restorations of Chichester, fettling the engine & reconnecting some of the final running controls such as mixture & air inlet. Consequently it is now running well & in rude health. The engine fires easily & exhibits a surprising turn of speed for a vehicle of this ancient lineage.
The coachwork takes the form of a Rois des Belges style open tourer finished in dark blue with red pin lining. The car sits on wooden artillery wheels. Black/Blue buttoned leather in good condition is fitted to the front & rear seating & extends to the door cards. A large hood unfurls giving excellent protection during inclement motoring. (Don't ask how we know this.) An ancient AA badge sits atop the radiator. The car needless to say is festooned with period nickel lamps in varying sizes.
To drive the car is a pleasure. The gear box is easy to master with silent changes easily effected once a little mastery has been gained. The foot brake is relatively ineffectual by modern standards so we recommend use in conjunction with the push for on hand brake. More pictures will follow shortly once we have the car back to the showroom. The car is eminently suited to such tours as the Gordon Bennet, creepy crawly, & a number of the early european events such as the Khevenhuller rally in Austria.
http://www.vintagerollsroycecars.com/car-details/1908-daimler-rois-des-belges-tourer_844.html
1908 Daimler DB18 is listed sold on ClassicDigest in Grays by Vintage Prestige for £69500.
Car Facts
Car type : Car Make : Daimler Model : DB18 Engine size : 0.0 Model Year : 1908 Sub type : Station wagon Location : Essex Vehicle Registration : Normal
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About Daimler
Daimler was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in London by H. J. Lawson in 1896. To secure the name they bought the right to the use of the Daimler name simultaneously from Gottlieb Daimler and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. Britain's oldest car manufacturer was purchased by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) in 1910 after numerous ownership arrangements.
Under BSA era they produced some of the most outrageous luxury cars such as low-chassis Daimler double-six 50hp, commercial vehicles, and military vehicles including tanks and a four-wheel-drive armoured scout car, nicknamed Dingo (WWII).
Postwar Daimler's most significant achievement came in the form of so called Turner engines, when Ed Turner, head of the automotive division, designed a series lightweight hemi head Daimler 2.5 & 4.5 Litre V8 Engines.
In May 1960, the Daimler business was purchased from BSA by Jaguar that was looking for the manufacturing facilities. This eventually led to Daimler becoming just a badge engineered jaguar.
The real tragedy is that Jaguar complitely failed to use the potential of Turner's hemi engines, that in all ernest were superior to Jaguar's XK design. Just imagine, if E-type had been introduced with the 4.5 light alloy v8 in 1961, what a rocket ship that would have made!