1961 Daimler SP250

Built in 1961, ‘DMY 160A’ is a B-Spec Daimler SP250 Dart that’s finished in Jaguar Opalescent Grey thanks to a full restoration in 2016-17. The work also saw the Daimler receive an Oxblood leather interior, matching carpets, and a Mota-Lita steering wheel.

Fitted with the rare and desirable automatic gearbox, it also sits on wire wheels and is protected with a very good black mohair hood.

With a known history and just four previous owners, our assessor says of it “it is a very pretty car that wouldn't look out of place in any car show.”

Why the sale after such a short period? The seller had arranged to buy a Jaguar E Type, but the chap he was buying it from got cold feet and decided not to sell after all. Our man was then wowed by the condition of this SP250, only to hear back from the Jaguar owner shortly afterwards saying he’d changed his mind again (again!) and was prepared to sell after all.

There’s certainly nowt so queer as folk, but our seller was happy to get his hands on the E Type he thought he’d lost, even though it means he’s got to sell the Daimler he’d only just bought.

We understand that the body was stripped back to the gelcoat in 2016 before being sprayed in Jaguar Opalescent Grey, a change from the Mountain Blue it left the factory in.

As you can see, the result is stunning with the new colour giving the Daimler an up-market look to match the gorgeous details that are everywhere you look.

Like the attractive and unusual rear lamp panels, and the window aperture trims on the top of the doors. There is a four-figure receipt on file for re-chroming too, but it was clearly worth every penny as it’s all still bright and lustrous.

The panel fit throughout is impressive, with consistent shutlines around both doors and a good fit to both the boot lid and the bonnet.

The black fabric hood furls and unfurls easily, sitting nice and taut when it’s up. It still looks pretty much like new and if we were to take a guess we’d say it hasn’t seen much use in the past nine years as the seams are still tight, it’s barely creased, and the plastic windows remain bright and clear.

A black tonneau cover and hood cover complete the weather equipment, with the latter giving the car a clean look when the roof is folded down. The former will be very useful for those hardy souls who’re prepared to dress like motorcyclists and brave the elements with their upper bodies poking out into the elements. No fear for their lower body though, as the good doctor splashed out for the optional heater.

The painted 15-ich wire wheels and two-eared spinners were bought new during the car’s rebirth. With only moderate use since, they are still in great shape. They also still wear the matching fat-walled 185/80R15 Hifly HF201 tyres (date-stamped 2015) that were bought and fitted in 2017.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

As for flaws, we’re being ultra-picky when we tell you that there is a small graze on the nearside front wheel and a few small cracks in the paint on that wheelarch. There is another small crack in the paint above the front grill, a little more just ahead of the driver’s door, more around the chromed window glass trim on the top of the passenger door, and two more areas on either side of the lower bonnet.

There is also a tiny patch of paint bubbling next to the front grille plus a couple more bubbles on the rear of the boot lid.

As for more trivial issues, a chip has been touched in on the nearside at the base of the front windscreen, there are a few scratches and chips to the nearside sill and the bottom of that door. We also spotted a few small chips around edges of both doors, a small chip on the rear nearside fin, another on the bottom of the offside rear wheelarch, and an area of microblistering around the offside boot hinge.

We also note the presence of a filled in circle on the offside rear fin, presumably where an aerial was once fitted. There is also a noticeable scratch in the driver’s door below the handle, and a couple of small touch-up marks on the same panel. The inside of the driver’s door aperture has been scraped and touched-in too.

Finally, the rubber seal around the fuel cap has perished, and the tyres are now a decade old, so it would be prudent to start to think about replacing them.

We would stress though that we are being so cautious because we know so many of you bid based on our description and we’d hate anyone to be disappointed when they come to see it; the best-case scenario, and the one we strive for, is for the winning bidder to collect the car and say that it’s in an even better condition that we described.

There is there is a small amount of play in both doors and the boot lid.

The red hide interior is the perfect foil for the discreet coachwork. Perfectly judged and featuring a gorgeous wood-rimmed Moto-Lita steering wheel, another nice touch is the Stratstone badge, which has been refitted to the centre of the dashboard.

In fact, the Daimler’s design and engineering shines as brightly inside as it does outside, with a host of Easter eggs for you to uncover including an attractive alloy, chrome, and leather trim panel around the gearlever, three angled switches to the right of the passenger’s right knee, beautiful labels for all the switches, a decorative panel for the minor instruments in the centre of the dash, and slim door pockets.

All this counts for naught of course if it’s been neglected since being completed but a combination of careful curation and updates when needed – the interior received new Wessex carpets in 2023 – mean it looks very nearly as good now as it did a decade ago.

The low back, heavily bolstered bucket seats, for example, are barely creased. The rear seats are in an even better condition, the (very recent) carpets are still almost unmarked, and the leather on the dashboard and door cards is still vibrant and soft.

Of course, the absence of a clutch pedal means there’s more room in the footwell than there would be on a manual car, which may be important if you’re tall and/or have big feet. We’re increasingly coming to realise that the presence of an automatic gearbox sometimes makes the difference between some folk being able to drive an older sportscar car or not.

Speaking of practicality, the boot is surprisingly capacious. It’s also beautifully trimmed, very clean, and home to the full-size spare wheel, making the Daimler a very sensible touring car.

The metalwork under the spare wheel is solid and free of rust. In fact, its sole UK MoT didn’t mention structural corrosion or rust at all, which is reassuring but probably won’t come as a surprise by now.

As for flaws, there are a couple of small holes on the leading edge of the nearside door card, a couple of nicks in the seat leather, the inside of the folding roof has a few marks on it, and the stuffing is poking out of the rear seat from the nearside backrest.

The restoration saw much mechanical work, including:

• A complete engine rebuild including honing of the bores, new pistons, bearings and all new valves and guides to the cylinder heads.
• A rear gas telescopic suspension upgrade courtesy of marque specialist Robert Grinter. This along with the rack and pinion steering conversion, cost almost £2,000 for the parts alone.
• An upgraded cooling system including two seven-inch electric fans fitted on a thermostat.

As you can see at the end of the video, it starts promptly and shows good oil pressure and a healthy charge to the battery straight away.

It also revs well and has a nice growl and an appealing induction rasp – and it goes without saying that the exhaust note is spectacular.

The engine bay is very well presented, being clean and shiny without being so OTT that you’re afraid to use it. You could valet it further if that sort of thing makes you happy, but you could also lift the bonnet at your local classic car show without shame.

As with the rest of the car, the details under the bonnet are impressive and we love the reinstallation of the Daimler Co. Ltd brass plaque, the neatly coiled copper tubing, the name plate on the dynamo, and the Lucas washer fluid reservoir.

The underside is ridiculously clean and a credit to the seller. Sporting a combination of painted metal and underseal, the only problem is the car sits so low that most people will never get to enjoy it.

The car was purchased in June 1961 by Dr. Derek Ivor Segall from Stratstone, London. Dr Segall, who was a Harley Street doctor and lived in a house called ‘By the Way’ in London Road, Stanmore, opted for the rare automatic transmission, presumably to make city driving somewhat easier.

He kept the car for four years before selling it on to a Mr. Anthony Mitchell of Kensington High Street, London. More city driving presumably, followed by a move to Northern Ireland. It went with him and changed hands three times before being sold to a Mr. Mark Brien, the chap who restored the Dart in 2016-17.

It was then treated to a full restoration, at which point its colour changed to the Jaguar Opalescent Grey it wears today.

The history file contains the original buff log book, a Jaguar Heritage Trust Production Record Trace Certificate, a photographic record of its restoration, an article detailing its restoration, and a factory wiring diagram.

It also comes with a photographic record of the restoration plus all the invoices for the work. These are very detailed and it’s worth going through them to see exactly how thorough Robert Grinter’s work was.

The Daimler doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it MoT’d at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic vehicle, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

The Daimler SP250 hasn’t generated the same fanatical following as some of its contemporaries, something we’re pleased to see is starting to change thanks to impressive engineering and gorgeous design flourishes.

And this one is an especially good example; with a known history and a first-rate restoration that’s holding up well, it looks the part thanks to its new colour too.

We also, like the Police did when it was new, rate the automatic gearbox and its presence in ‘DMY 160A’ is, we think, a worthwhile bonus. Ditto the discreet and well-proven mechanical upgrades; between them they make this one even nicer to drive than a standard manual example would be.

All of which makes our guide price of between £27,000 and £32,000 seem like a bit of a bargain – and if you agree, you know what to do.

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