1955 Daimler Conquest

This motor car is being sold as part of an overseas collection. It has been imported under the Bonhams temporary admission customs bond and is therefore subject to the lower rate 5% import tax if the car is to remain in the UK & purchased by a private individual. The 5% is calculated on the final selling price. For example, if the car sells for £2,500, then £125 is added, making the total amount payable of £2,125.

The winning bidder will receive a receipt for the final hammer value, and proof that HMRC fees are paid. If the car is subsequently exported abroad within 30 days then these fees are refundable.

A company buying the car will have to pay VAT on the hammer price, as well as duty + VAT.

Lastly, there will be a nominal administration fee of £350 for processing the bond discharge & NOVA application, and payable direct to the shipping company. A completed and processed NOVA will provide you formal proof that all duties & taxes are paid in UK and thus allow you to register the vehicle with the DVLA

In common with the majority of cars in this collection, this vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and there is no history available beyond that displayed in our photography section.

We have not started or driven the car so cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality. It will require recommissioning prior to road use and is sold ‘as seen’.

It is available for view and inspection at our HQ near Abingdon and we will be delighted to show the car to you and/or your appointed engineer.

In common with many vehicles from the vendor’s collection, the car comes with very little history and no service records.

We haven’t tried to start or drive this car and can therefore only attest to its cosmetic condition.

We know that the chassis number is 87780.

We know that it comes with the semi-automatic ‘pre-selector’ gearbox.

We know that, today, the odometer reads 87,220 miles.

We know that it was bought for the vendor’s collection of static display vehicles in 2013.

And we know from stickers on the car that it was resprayed by Autorella of Santa Cruz, California, and that, at some point, it was registered with the Automobile Club of Hawaii.

In general, and from a few yards away, this rare and handsome car presents very well.

The bodywork and paint are generally in decent fettle, the new-ish looking hood is intact and the chrome work is good all round.

The panels are broadly untroubled by dents, dinks or creases of any real significance.

The wheels, too, look to be in pretty reasonable condition.

This is an impression that only diminishes slightly as you get closer.

While the bodywork is mainly true, and the panels are mostly straight, there are nonetheless various small dinks, scratches and scuffs here and there.

There is a sizeable patch of paint missing (revealing bare metal beneath) on the o/s/f wing. There is a scratch on the n/s/f wing and various small scratches, scuffs and stone chips on the n/s door. There are also some scuffs on the o/s door.

There is a very small, shallow indentation on the boot lid, some micro-blistering on the vent below the windscreen and some cracked paint around the wiper arm mounts.

At present, the driver’s door can’t be opened from the outside.

The chrome trim that should run around the edge of the bodywork adjacent to the hood is currently detached and inside the car.

The o/s/r window glass doesn’t seem to be present within the mechanism.

The hood, which is clearly a replacement item, doesn’t look to have the bi-fold, ‘de ville’ functionality of the original. We may be wrong.

The petrol cap is missing, although it’s possible that this item is lurking in one of the boxes of parts in the car’s rather shabby boot.

The interior condition mirrors that of its exterior counterpart, at least to the extent that there’s clearly been some high-quality restoration work carried out by someone who knew what they were doing.

In general, the brown leather upholstery looks very good and must have been part of a restoration process at some unknown point.

The seats, front and back, are comfortable and supportive. The rear bench needs re-attaching to its base.

The back of the front seat on the n/s is loose.

The wood and veneers on the dashboard are reasonably good, although there is a crack in the wood by the ignition keyhole.

There are a couple of scuffs on the glove compartment door and the interior box is missing.

The veneer and lacquer on the n/s door capping is cracked and breaking away.

The carpets are OK, but grubby, and the door cards are in in decent nick.

The lining of the hood seems fine.

We can’t make any claims about the functionality of switches, knobs, levers, toggles, buttons, dials or other electrics as we haven’t tried to start the vehicle.

The undersides look like they belong to a car that’s spent some or all of its life in California and Hawaii – in other words, they seem pretty untroubled by rust issues of any significance. You’ll want to come and see for yourself, though, obviously.

The engine and engine bay look very clean and dry.

The car doesn’t come with a service history or any record of work done.

Currently, this car has neither an MoT certificate nor a V5. It must be registered in the country of your choice and you will need to contact the appropriate vehicle licensing agency for instructions on how to do this. Any paperwork shown in the gallery in no way constitutes any kind of licensing or registration certification.

We haven’t tried to start or drive the car so our understanding of it is somewhat limited.

That said, provided the car’s engine and mechanicals prove to be in proper working order and amenable to recommissioning, we think this rare 1955 Daimler Conquest Century Drophead Coupé has more than enough intrinsic quality and class to make it a highly desirable classic from one of the world’s grand marques.

We’re confident to offer this car for auction with an estimate of £2,500 - £5,000, plus Bonhams bond payment and £250 NOVA fee.