1955 Daimler Conquest Century Drophead

After spending a few years on display behind a glass wall in an elegant man cave in Sussex, the seller rescued the Daimler Conquest Century drophead Coupé only recently.

Thought to have been restored maybe a couple of decades ago, ‘WPE356’ is now fully recommissioned - and because the seller is a diligent man, he even put it through an MoT to make sure it was safe and roadworthy; the fact that MoT ended up being issued with no advisories once he’d finished speaks volumes as to his fastidiousness.

Looking resplendent in cream with a red de Ville hood and a matching leather interior, it is ready to provide its new owner with another few decades of high-end fun.

Perhaps best of all, it is being offered with no reserve, so will sell from the very first bid.

The red de Ville hood offers a wonderful contrast with the understated cream hue of the coachwork. In a fine condition and featuring a proper glass rear window, it should open with a combination of a manual element for the front section with an electro-mechanical mechanism picking up the hard work folding for the rear section. However, the latter isn’t working currently, which most probably a minor fault with the switch, as the vendor tells us it had only been recently fixed, but it can still all be opened by hand.

Its clever design offers a range of positions depending on the weather and the experience you want to give your passengers. As Daimler itself wrote when the car was new:

“The freedom of an open car or, at the touch of a button and without leaving your seat, the weather-proof comfort of a saloon. The power-operated hood of the ‘Conquest’ drop-head Coupé will, without effort on your part, provide you with the exhilaration of fast, open air travel, the dignity of the ‘de Ville’ town carriage, or the snug warmth of a fully-closed car.“

The rest of the bodywork is similarly impressive. The fit and finish looks good and the overall impression is of coachwork that is solid and well painted.

A discreet red pinstripe runs along the length of the car and the streamliner-style front and rear wings added a grace and sophistication that harked back to the pre-war glory years Britain so desperately wanted to return to.

The painted steel wheels are in a good condition and fitted with excellent chrome hubcaps. The tyres are a matching set of 185/65–15, which are the replacements for the 6.70-15 cross ply tyres it would have originally worn.

This is a useful safety and handling upgrade as well as a reassuring sign of the seller’s commitment to maintaining his car correctly; 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.

It is adorned with three exterior mirrors, an A-pillar-mounted spotlight, a badge bar displaying badges for the RAC and Daimler and Lanchester Owners Club, and a reproduction tax disc from 1955.

As for flaws, the tonneau cover has a couple of holes in it, some of the chromework is a little more pitted and scratched than many would be comfortable with, there are cracks to the finish of the paint under the driver’s door handle, and there are a few rust bubbles starting in places such as the lower rear wings.

The interior feels wonderfully decadent thanks to that bright red hue and the use of some lovely textiles.

Chief of which is, of course, leather. Hard-wearing and long used in luxury cars, it has been used to tremendous effect here on the seats. Nicely patinated and yet still very presentable, they are every inch the lavish items you’d expect to find in a car with the Daimler’s pedigree.

And yet, for all their considerable charm, it’s the dashboard that has captured our hearts. Constructed of wood, of course, the ivory-faced instruments that nestle within are an absolute delight with a wonderfully of-the-period typeface that makes them some of the nicest we’ve ever seen on any car.

The carpets are plush and in a good condition. The majority of them look recent and the gentle wear to the older pieces on the sides of the footwell, door cards, and underneath the front seats only adds to the Daimler’s charm and romance.

The sunvisors are a simple shape, each finished in red and held in place by a single, central chrome bracket. Their curved shape is echoed in the convex mirror that sits between them and the three form an elegant and thoughtfully designed trio.

The gear selector is similarly elegant and sits behind a lovely, thin-rimmed steering wheel. Bakelite switches add yet more charm, as does the period radio. There’s a Clayton heater too, a luxury that wasn’t as common back then as you might think.

The boot holds the spare wheel and tool kit plus a box containing a few spare parts, a service manual, and some additional keys.

As for faults, the white headlining is a little water- and rust-stained. The leather seat facings have the odd hole too, most notably on the outer side of the passenger’s and driver’s seats where they pivot forward to allow access to the rear.

The recommissioning work the seller instigated included:

• Overhauling the fuel pump, fitting the correct fuel sender, and rebuilding the petrol tank reserve tap with new seals.
• Having David Beales Engineering rebuild the water pump before reinstalling it with a new thermostat, radiator cap, and coolant hoses.
• Fitting new wiper blades, exhaust mounts, and anti-roll bar bushes.
• Installing new brake slave cylinders on the front complete with new shoes.
• Having the cylinder head skimmed and overhauling the valve train before refitting it with a new head gasket by Cracknells of Thurston, Motor Engineers at a cost of almost £3,000.

As you can see, it starts and idles as it should. It also shows a good charge on the ammeter and we are told it drives well and has “good” brakes.

Oh, and if you’re worried about driving a car with a pre-selector gearbox, the seller has attached some notes in which he concludes: “If you are not familiar with a pre-selector you will be surprised how straightforward they seem after a few minutes practice.”

The engine bay is nicely presented and there’s even a typed guide to opening the rear-hinged bonnet in addition to the plaques mounted on the bulkhead that tell you how to open that fiendishly clever roof.

The under-bonnet insulation is a little jaded but it may well be the original, so most would be tempted to leave it as it is.

The underside looks very strong and solid and no MoT tester has ever had cause to report on structural corrosion.

Despite not needing one, we are delighted to see the Daimler sports a fresh MoT certificate. Expiring in April 2024, its previous MoT was gained back in 2010.

The Conquest also comes with a handful of invoices and a book pack comprising a handbook and service manual plus reprints of period road tests and a guide to the range.

The owner thinks it spent some time in France in around 2013-14 before ending up on display in Sussex but, like so many classic cars, much of its paperwork has been lost over the years.

Oh, and if you Google the registration number you’ll come up with a couple of stock photographs of it from 1998.

This is one of the rarest Daimlers ever built. The seller thinks the Daimler Club only knows of around 70 in total, while How Many Left records just twelve 1955 models on the road with the same number being declared on SORN.

This means this no reserve listing is sure to attract an awful lot of attention from folk for whom exquisite engineering is important.

And style. Let’s not forget style because the de Ville-roofed Conquest is as elegant as anything of the period; at a time when rationing had only ended a year before, a Daimler like this must have been quite a sight.

We estimate this car will reach anywhere between £10,000 - £15,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at BonhamsICars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.