1978 Daimler Sovereign 4.2 LWB Auto

Graham is the owner of this lovely 1978 Daimler Sovereign 4.2 LWB. He purchased the car around 9 years ago to go alongside his other classic Mark II Jaguar.

Within Graham's ownership he has ensured the car has been regularly serviced and maintained to a high standard, as you will see when you look through the paperwork section.

A nice history file, including all the old MOT’s, shows it's been a well cared for car, with low mileage for the age of the vehicle.

When Covid lockdown struck, Graham, who is keen on light aircraft, decided to get a new project off the ground, (literally), in the way of a light aircraft simulator. With that completed, unfortunately Graham has to let the Daimler go to free up some space.

Finished in dark blue with a black vinyl roof, this 1978 LWB Daimler Sovereign 4.2 is extremely well presented. The front of the vehicle is in excellent condition, with just a few stone chips, as you would expect. The lower front valance usually has some signs of rust from low down stone chips and damage, but we are pleased to say it's not the case with this Daimler. The lower grille section is straight with two Cibie spot lights either side which are chip free. Just above, and the chrome bumper is nice and bright with no obvious areas of tarnishing. The classic 70’s look with the twin lights and shorter grille are all in good condition with no cracks to the lights. The grille has some period badges from the AA, RAC, RSPB and The National Trust.

Around to the sides of the long Daimler, it is all looking very straight with no obvious dinks or dents caught from any car parking incidents. The panel gaps for the doors align equally and the all important wheel arches show no obvious signs of any corrosion, there is just the odd stone chip here and there. The chrome door mirrors, door handles and window surrounds are all in excellent order and have a bright finish, and there are no signs of tarnishing. There is evidence of a little paintwork on the car. In 2015, the car did have a couple of areas touched up which were the right wing and the left front door.

To the rear, and like the rest of the car, the panel gap on the boot is nice and uniform. The light clusters are free from any splits. The chrome work to the boot lid handle and bumper is again like the rest of the car, all in good condition with just a few light scratches. Just below the bumper, the rear valance is quite prone to corrosion around the exhaust outlets, but we are pleased to say this area looks to be free from corrosion.

The wheels have been painted body colour (which has come off in a couple of places), and finished with the chrome trim and Daimler hub cap, all of which are in good condition. The tyres are matching Avon’s, and have a good amount of tread remaining.

The interior of the Daimler is finished in a nice sand-colored vinyl which compliments the exterior colour very well. The seats themselves are in good condition with some age related creasing and cracking as you would expect to the fronts, and some slight wear to the drivers side bolster. The rear seat is in nice condition with some slight creasing to the vinyl, but to be honest, it doesn’t look to have had much use. The four door cards are in good condition with no obvious signs of any damage.

Sitting in the driver's seat, the dashboard is finished in black to the top section which is free from any cracks. The burr walnut facia is finished well, with no crazing to the lacquer finish that is often seen. The instruments are in excellent order and are all working correctly with the odometer showing a reading of just 72,707 miles. Any switchgear on the dashboard or center console all has legible writing. There has been an aftermarket Bluetooth CD player fitted to enable a more modern way of listening to music. The electric windows work as well as they should, along with the electric sunroof. The only item that is not working is the clock.

The carpets throughout the passenger area are in very good condition, with just light wear to the driver’s heel pad. Up above, the headlining was replaced around six years ago meaning no signs of a sagging headlining in sight. Into the boot, and again, the carpet is nice and clean. The spare wheel is present along with the wheel brace and jack.

The underside of the Daimler is in nice condition with no obvious areas for concern. There are some odd patches where the sealant has flaked off, but this wouldn't take much to recoat. It was treated with waxoyl when the paintwork was carried out in 2015, to prevent any unwanted surprises creeping in.

Fitted with the reliable 4.2 LXJ6 straight-six engine, the Daimler fires up first time from cold and shows excellent oil pressure. With a few gentle revs there are no untoward noises coming from the straight-six. The transmission is reported to be free from any clunking on acceleration and the gear change is nice and smooth.

In 2016, at a cost of £2,029, new dampers were fitted to the rear and since then it has only covered just over 2,000 miles. At the same time the car also received brake flexi hoses, a rear and front brake caliper, exhaust downpipe and back box.

The vendor drove the Daimler into us for the photographs and reports that the car is an absolute pleasure to drive around town and cruising along the motorway.

It’s not very often you see a car from 1978 with all the old MOT certificates, along with the owner's manual and plenty of invoices for work which has been carried out over the years.

The most recent service was carried out just 3 weeks ago, where it received new HT leads and an automatic choke. Prior to that was at the time of the MOT, where there was an advisory for a suspension ball joint dust cover which was split. Needless to say, to make sure everything was as it should be, this was replaced straight away, even though it was only an advisory.

The V5 is present and shows just 3 previous keepers. The MOT is valid until the 23rd March 2022.

Definitely a timeless British classic, with a strong 4.2 straight-six, the Daimler is not only reliable but also no slouch. Quite capable of being used on a daily basis should you wish, although with low miles and low owners maybe this one needs to be used as a weekend tourer, or wouldn't look out of place at a classic car rally.

A well cared for 1978 Daimler Sovereign 4.2 LWB, ready and waiting for the taking, who will be the lucky one?

We estimate this British classic will bring in the region of £8,000 - £14,000.

Viewing is always encouraged and as stated this car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.