Description

1972 Daimler DS420 Limousine

SOLD £8,120

A really well-cared for example in lovely order; big money spent; driven 50+miles to the sale; one of the best available

Introduced as a direct replacement for the Daimler Majestic Major in 1968, the DS420 also superseded the 4-litre Vanden Plas Austin Princess and was to remain in production virtually unchanged until 1992. It was the last vehicle to use the fabulous Jaguar straight-six XK engine. By the time of its demise, over 4,100 had been produced, initially at the Vanden Plas works in North London, with production moving to the Jaguar plant at Coventry in 1979. Favourites of the British and Danish Royal families, as well as official State cars the world over, they also found favour as funeral and wedding transport and offered good reliable service for half the price of a Phantom VI Rolls Royce. They were built around the already massive Jaguar 420G platform, which was extended a further 21” making for a most imposing car which was exactly what the designers had in mind. The driver benefitted very little from all this space while the rear seat passengers had more than they knew what to do with - the rear seat had a width of over six feet! The earlier Vanden Plas-built DS420s are known within the carriage trade as being far better built than later models, the fine two-owner example on offer today dating from 1972. It was purchased in 1981 from its original owners with the odometer reading 36,000 miles. Its first jobs were doing ‘Mayor and Judge work’, collecting and delivering the dignitaries of Shrewsbury. A job-book in the history file lists its duties from 1981 to 1984, and 30 old MOTs show its mileage accumulation to its current reading of 117,000 miles. It received a fully reconditioned engine in 2003 and there are bills on file for work done inside and out. The most significant was a major body refurbishment in 2005. Keith Hockenhall, a well-known restorer fitted new rear wings, repairing the inner arches at the same time. This was a massive job, the bill for the work and subsequent respray totalling some £16,000. At much the same time, a new headlining was fitted and the leather reconnollised. It has not had a great deal of work to do over the last few years and has been showroom stored when not in use. As a consequence, it has retained its lustre and looks most impressive inside and out. Rare, in the sense that it is one of the few DS420s to have been so well cared for and preserved, if one of these superb limousines is on your shopping list – this is the car for you.