1984 Daimler DS420 Landaulette

Jaguar handled the engineering, giving the DS420 the engine, transmission, and suspension from the Jaguar 420G. The car was produced at Austin’s Vanden Plas factory in Kingsbury. D stands for Daimler, S was part of an alphabetical naming scheme sequence, (previous car being the DR,) and 420 referred to the 4.2L Jaguar XK engine inside the vehicle. The DS420 was built on the floorpan of the Jaguar 420G, though for the Daimler, the wheelbase was elongated by an extra 21 inches. The front features the traditional Daimler fluted grille and headlights from the Jaguar 420G. The car also featured the same twin ten-gallon fuel tanks from the 420G as well. Smaller than the competing Rolls-Royce Phantom of the time in every aspect, the Daimler DS420 came under half the price of the Rolls.

This DS420 is jet black with yellow pinstriping down both sides of the car. The paint is in fair condition, but we all know black is a difficult color to preserve. The paint is smoothly applied around the entire vehicle except for the front passenger door, which does have some waves in it. There are scuffs in the paint on the driver’s front quarter panel, driver’s door, passenger rear quarter panel, and the trunk lid. There are chips in the panel gaps, at the base of the windows, and on the fuel door. Lastly, there are some bubbling issues. Bubbling can be seen at the bottoms of both doors on the passenger side as well as the corresponding front quarter panel. Three of the four hubcaps are in good condition but the fourth will either need some refurbishing or replacing. The tires look to have a fair amount of tread left, but we always recommend a new set. Chrome around the car is clean and free of wrinkles. However, the rear-view mirrors don’t hold in place. The black canvas roof appears to have survived nicely, showing no threading, holes, or tears. Glass around the car is clean as well, showing no chips or cracks. Overall, there are some imperfections in the paint that need correcting, but there is no major damage to be dealt with on the outside.

The black leather interior is in solid condition, and there is no major damage to note. Up front, the leather bench seat shows signs of moderate creasing, but no crease has caused any cracking or tears yet. The carpets in each footwell lay flat, but the fit is not perfect. The wooden dashboard and door panel inlays are in great condition. They all look highly glossy and show no chips or scratches. The gauges mounted within the dash are also clean and easily readable. The leather-wrapped steering wheel is in nice condition with no major signs of aging visible. Down low, the plastic center console has been nicely preserved as well. Unlike the front bench, the center of the gray rear bench does have a tear in its leather. The wooden rear door panels, while much larger, also appear to be undamaged. There is probably a smaller mark or two, but nothing looks horrific. The glass partition is in proper form with no cracks. The interior has no major damage to speak of, and just one or two areas that need some repair.

The underside of this DS420 hides no major damage. The frame and floorboards are solid for the most part, although there does seem to be an area toward the front passenger corner, but behind the front passenger wheel, with a decent amount of corrosion. Aside from that, all the suspension components appear to be solid, and the exhaust only shows minor discoloration.

This DS420 was originally delivered to Swanley, Kent back in 1984, and the current seller purchased the car from that same area in 1998.

The Daimler DS420 is an obscure car, even among limousines. However, the car is the result of a joint project between Daimler and Jaguar, two companies both with vast experience in the luxury car segment, and it shows. The DS420 is supremely comfortable no matter what seat you choose to sit in. The paint does have some issues that could use correcting, and something should be done about the tear in the rear bench, but after those things are dealt with; an excellent example of the DS420 will remain. We at The Market by Bonhams believe this DS420 will have little issue hitting its $6,000 - $10,000 estimate.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL BIDDERS

It should be noted that 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’.

Please note that the title for this vehicle is in transit.