1963 Daimler Dart SP250

Originally Tudor Grey, this wonderfully cheery yellow Daimler Dart was built in April 1963, which means it benefits from the stronger chassis and other upgrades the Spec B and C cars have. Fitted with the Daimler V8 engine and manual gearbox, it’s a lusty yet easy to drive package that will appeal to a wide range of drivers.

Restored in British Columbia less than 3,000 miles ago (the keen-eyed among you will have also spotted the New Zealand Owners’ Club sticker in the windscreen, which means this might be the most travelled Dart in the world) it has obviously had an awful lot of money spent on it as everything is in a fabulous condition.

Brought back to the UK by a Daimler/Jaguar specialist, it’s been through their workshop and been further mechanically recommissioned before being put through an MOT, a process it passed with flying colours.

In fact, as you’ll see when you come to read the rest of the advert, we’ve had to look long and hard to find anything negative to say about it, which makes for a boring read but is exactly what you want to see when you’re considering investing in a car like this.

Obviously not the original colour, the coachwork is in a very good condition; some fibreglass cars can be a bit hit and miss when it comes to panel alignment and shutlines but this Dart looks bloomin’ tight.

It’s not just the panels or the quality of the paintwork, either; the rubber seals, the bit folk on a budget tend to miss, are impressive. Take a look at the windscreen trim for example, and tell me that this isn’t a car on which far too much time and money has been lavished on.

It’s the same story with the chrome, which is deep and lustrous. And the badging, glazing, numberplates, and light lenses all speak of careful restoration - and even more careful subsequent curation. If it isn’t all flawless, it isn’t far off.

The black 15-inch steel wheels look great, set off as they are by good chrome hub caps embellished with the words The Daimler Company Limited Coventry. They shod with good tyres too, in this case 165/80R15 Invovic EL318.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching 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. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The black hood fits surprisingly well too, and seems to be free of any damage whatsoever, even clouding of the plastic windows. The tonneau cover is a useful addition to the car’s weather arsenal too.

The boot contains the spare wheel and little else. If you were looking for a winter project, then this is it but that’s only if you fancy bonding with it with a simple task on those long dark nights.

Faults? Well, the holes for the press studs on the tonneau cover are a bit squiffy (slide #66) and there’s the odd small scratch and stonechip here and there (most notably #84, #99, #103, #126, #134, #143 and #175) but all are superficial and cosmetic only and that that is all we can find to warn you about should actually be seen as praise of the highest order.

The black leather interior, which is piped in yellow to match the coachwork, is in a similarly good condition to the exterior. But then you’d guessed that by now, hadn’t you?

Because cars like this are a package and if the outside is excellent then this is going to be reflected everywhere else. This means the leather front seats are still firm and plump and almost unmarked – and the diminutive rears are even better, which won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s ever tried to use them for anything other than small bags and coats.

The carpets are in great shape too, as are the door cards, dashboard, and controls. It’s clearly been fettled by someone with money and great taste, a combination that’s rarer than you might think…

If it were ours, then the steering wheel is the least convincing element as we can see a crack at the junction ‘twixt spokes and rim (slide #27), so we’d be tempted to take the cover off and see what lies beneath. But, again, that we’re nit-picking to this extent should be seen as nothing other than reassuring.

The vendor is a Daimler/Jaguar specialist, and he put the car through his workshops after it arrived back in the UK after its circumnavigation. The odometer was zero’d after it’s Canadian restoration (work the vendor estimates would have cost considerably more than the car’s guide price…) and is still showing only 2,595 miles.

He nonetheless put it through his workshop and had his staff check it from stem to stern, checking and refurbishing anything they weren’t 100% happy with. It was serviced and had the ignition system, suspension, engine and brakes fettled, leaving it fighting fit and ready to serve its new owner.

As you can see from the video, the Dart starts promptly and quickly settles down to a steady tickover. It also revs well and shows good oil pressure as well as a healthy charge from the alternator. There’s a lovely burble from the exhaust too, and the engine bay is as clean as the rest of the car.

The underside is good too, being clean and strong and well protected against winter salt and rain.

This really is a Daimler Dart you should be able to buy without having to expend either money or effort on for a while.

Despite being exempt by virtue of its age, the Dart has an MOT until May 2023 – and it gained it with no advisories. That the owner has put an MOT on it says a lot about his meticulous approach to his car’s maintenance.

The recent MyCarCheck vehicle history check shows nothing of any concern.

The Daimler Dart was voted the ugliest car at the 1959 New York Motor Show, and if you concur with that accolade then what on earth are you still reading this advert for?

For everyone else, including us, the Daimler Dart is still a bit of an underacknowledged car; fast and light, we think it’s a model whose time has come.

Especially when it’s as good as this one, a car that reeks of time and money and love. A car upon which the new owner need lavish nothing other than petrol money and affection.

In addition to somewhere between £35,000 and £45,000 too, of course. Yes, that’s a lot of money but then this is a helluva lot of car and every single penny of the premium you’ll have to pay to get your hands on one of the best Darts on sale anywhere today should wing its way back to you – with interest – when the time comes to sell it.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment 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, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.