1977 Daimler 2-Door Coupe

“I bought the car in 2017,” says vendor Kieran Vye. “This followed selling our Jaguar XJS Cabriolet, which we used for our trip to Le Mans Classic. The Daimler has a lot more space than the XJS and a wonderful image.”

Kieran had the car readied for new adventures but unfortunately Covid hit, putting the kibosh on Le Mans trips. “I am still working overseas and my return to the UK has been delayed; the Daimler is just sitting in our heated garage, so it’s best to sell the car so that someone else can enjoy it.

“We looked at around 15 cars when looking to buy one and this was the best out there, as conferred by Jaguar Classic when we took it in for a full examination.”

That examination constituted a full £650 health check report, which included a thorough inspection on body, mechanicals, electrical, etc. It delivered a full list of works that he then had carried out by highly respected specialist, Chiswick-based Enginuity. Those works came to a grand total of £5,573 and included a whole raft of works (a printout can be viewed in our Photo Gallery, below) and are discussed in the Underneath section, below.

The car is essentially a 3-owner car. The first was apparently a famous darts player, although no proof of this is available. “It was then acquired by our vendor’s father at 18 months old and we bought it from the son when his father passed away. The owner had worked in Asia for many years, with the car in storage during those times, and we were assured that the mileage was correct. He had the sills replaced and a bare metal respray in the Nineties.”

We challenge anyone not to look at this Daimler and swoon. It. Is. That. Cool. And that’s with the windows up! Lower those bad boys and it turns into one seriously (what word do I choose here that’s cooler than cool?)… got it: funky, pillarless Coupe.

The colour is rare in extremis: “It was ordered in the extremely rare Yellow Gold; we were told only three were made in this colour – again, we have no proof of this). Either way, it’s tres Seventies and ensures that, “this lovely wafter gets a lot of thumbs up!”

The rectification works and bare metal respray carried out several decades previously ensure that this example is one of the best we’ve seen. Panel fit is pretty much spot on; the long flanks are ripple- and dint-free, with doors that line up exceedingly well with the panels fore and aft. The paint finish remains excellent, and we have to say, that it highlights the model’s lines and contours beautifully. Arthur Daley in his pomp would have been proud to call this his steed…

Brightwork, including bumpers, wheels, grille, mirrors and window surrounds are all very good and offer a pleasing contrast. Up top, the black vinyl roof sports a bit of patina, which suits the car. Tyres were also replaced when Kieran had the car given a thorough once-over at Enginuity.

How to sum this car’s visuals up? It’s sunshine on wheels.

We love this cabin. Stepping inside, is like stepping back in time and while that’s no doubt down to the ambience, it’s also down to the old-car aroma – it’s a real olfactory pleasure.

It’s not concours, but who wants a squeaky clean super stiff, just-restored cabin? No siree, we want patina and plenty of it. The Black leather has this in spades, although perhaps the driver’s seat (which has obviously seen the most action) would benefit from a decent feed.

Carpets are good, as are the door cards and the beige headlining. The dashboard wood veneers are in decent nick, but not perfect; there’s a touch of wear around the offside edge of the speedometer, although as stated this suits the general cabin feel. The original spare wheel can be found in the boot – sporting an eye-catching body-coloured finish.

The best bit, of course, is utilising the pillarless Coupe look. You’ll never tire of how it looks.

“The car is in very good condition,” says Kieran. “It just needs a bit of fettling to get it into top condition.” Having sat in his heated garage for a while it’s clear that the Daimler needs a bit of a tune-up, as it’s running a touch fluffily. However, given the works carried out by Enginuity that shouldn’t prove to be too onerous at all.

As mentioned earlier works carried out there included:

• New stainless steel exhaust tailpipes

• Fresh engine belts, fuel feed pipes, throttle linkages and cables

• New windscreen, rubbers and tyres

• Waxoyl of the chassis, underside and sills, doors, top deck, bonnet, wheelarches and boot lid

• New water pump

This is just a snapshot, as the full invoice details a significant number of other smaller parts replaced. It’s worth flicking though the Photo Gallery and having a quick butcher’s (Arfur Daley speak!).

The engine bay presents well, but there is room for further beautification. The air box is a touch rusty, but that’d be a quick fix over a weekend, and you’d be rewarded with a much cleaner look.

The all-important underside shows lots of evidence of that comprehensive rust-proofing treatment that car received and looks very well protected. That said, there are one or two small sections (under the front valance) that could do with a bit of wire brush action and a touch-up of Waxoyl.

The supplied V5c document confirms a total of four owners from new, albeit tow of them were from the same family. It also confirms the car’s first date of registration as the 17th of June, 1977.

There are several invoices that show work carried out over the years including: a cylinderhead rebuild and modification to accept unleaded fuel in 2001 (fresh head gasket fitted at the same time); bodyshell strip and bare metal respray that same year; and a full re-commission in 2017.

You’ll also find some expired MOT test certificates, a parts guide and an Operating, Maintenance and Service handbook.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored, recommissioned and maintained to a very high standard.

Not many of these delectable, old cruisers remain and certainly not in this condition. Bidders can take heart from the fact that prior to Kieran’s purchase it underwent a thorough inspection by Jaguar Classic and ALL identified works were subsequently carried out by Enginuity.

It has been sitting for a while, so isn’t currently running supremely smoothly but, given the above, a bit of fettling and tweaking should have it ready for summer cruising in next to no time.

Presented in an ultra-rare colour and in very good nick, it is quite the thing. As such, we think it’ll sell for somewhere between £20,000 and £25,000. For that, the next owner will be acquiring one of the best 2-door Coupes out there and a seriously cool bit of kit.

All that then remains is to get those windows down, pop your elbow on the windowsill and get ready to waft in some serious style.

Viewing is always encouraged, within government guidelines of course. The car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’