1989 Daimler DS420 Landaulette

This car is offered from outside of the European Union. It has been imported under temporary admission customs bond and is therefore subject to Dutch import tax on top of the winning bid price (9%).

The winning bidder will receive a receipt for the final hammer value, as their proof of purchase.

This vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and the documented history available is limited to that displayed in our photography section.

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

As CARS Europe BV is the guarantor of all customs duties and taxes for vehicles within Dutch customs bond, the car cannot be released to the buyer or transporter immediately after the sale. For all enquiries relating to Customs, please contact CARS Europe BV.

Purchases will only be released once cleared funds are received. All vehicles must be collected after the payment of funds. All storage charges must be paid in full prior to the vehicle’s collection or onward transportation.

Storage charges payment must be arranged with the storage company. Collection is strictly by appointment only.

Please send a booking email to the storage centre to ensure vehicle(s) are ready at time of collection. Photographic ID will be required at time of collection. If a third party is collecting for you, then written authorisation is required in advance from you and photographic ID of the third party is required at the time of collection. Collection either by buyer or third party is only possible for vehicles within customs bond if applicable import taxes paid are paid to import into country of bonded storage location.

As soon as The Market by Bonhams will receive your payment, The Market by Bonhams accounts service will inform the manager of the storage facility where your car(s) is stored: a release note will be sent to them.

CARS Europe BV will contact you just after the sale to confirm onward transport requirements. Direct contact at CARS for enquiries is as follows; Joanna Herlihy, +31 (0) 252 682 526, +44 7483 433912, joanna@carseurope.net.

STORAGE CHARGES -€30 + local VAT per motor car per day commencing from the sixth day following the auction end.

CUSTOMS CHARGES - €500 per motor car (plus applicable permanent import taxes from bond).

VIN: SAJDWATL3AA201193.

Engine No: 4235

Odometer: 25,293 miles.

In common with many vehicles from this collection, the car comes with no history or service records.

With the proviso that we haven’t tried to start or drive this car and can therefore only comment on its cosmetic condition, we think this 1989 Daimler DS40 Landaulette is a reasonable, but far from perfect, example of a rare iteration of the Daimler DS420 range.

We know from a piece of paper inside the car that it was serving as a funeral car in London in 1995.

It entered the vendor’s collection of static display cars in 2012.

The panels are largely, but not entirely, free of any significant dents, bumps or creases. There is a shallow indentation across both doors on the driver’s side.

The panel gaps and shut lines are consistent and even.

Most of the chrome work is in decent condition, including on the hub caps, as is the folding hood and its recess and mechanism.

The chrome trim at the top of the windscreen is tarnished.

Something has been spilled down the front wing on the passenger side. Elsewhere on the same wing there is a large area of missing paint.

The rubber trim is coming away on the rear bumper.

Bubbling and corrosion are evident along the bodywork directly above the rear bumper and around to the passenger side.

There is bubbling below the windscreen and along the bottom of both doors on the driver’s side.

The driver’s door doesn’t currently open.

In general, the interior is really quite impressive, with fewer faults than we found on the exterior.

The upholstery is neither creased nor damaged, and the seats - front, back and pop-up middle row - are functional and supportive.

The door cards are all good although, somewhat puzzlingly, there is a hole in each one where we imagine a window winder once resided.

The carpets and thick lambswool mats are good, as is the headlining.

The wood veneers on the dashboard, door cappings and the drinks cabinet are glossy, rich and neither cracked nor faded.

The steering wheel, gear selector and instrument cluster are all in first-class condition.

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 boot is solid and in good condition.

Despite the presence of bubbling in areas of the bodywork, the undersides of the car seem to have retained a fair amount of structural integrity.

There is some flaking in evidence, but it’s hard to say how extensive or serious it might be.

Clearly, you’ll want to see for yourself and make your own assessment.

Everything in the engine bay seems to be in its right and proper place and appears to be clean and dry.

The car doesn’t come with any history or service record.

Any paperwork we have is photographed and displayed in the photo gallery. We do not have anything else.

Clearly, there are some bodywork issues to address but, hopefully, they won’t be particularly major or require too much time and money to rectify.

Provided, of course, that the engine and mechanicals are as good as the rest of the vehicle, we think this is a grand and unusual vehicle that might have years of useful service left to offer.

Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

We estimate this Daimler to reach anywhere between €6,000 - €10,000.