1968 Daimler 250 V8

This splendid Daimler 250 V8 has been through a ground up, bare metal, nut and bolt restoration over the course of the last 5 years.

Which makes it fairly unusual, because much of the focus of restorers has been on its Jaguar MkII counterpart.

While MkII prices have sky-rocketed and even desperate old barn finds full of chickens and rust have become worth restoring, so Daimler 250 V8s have, to date, been largely overlooked by the legions of welders, grinders, blasters, skimmers, borers, saddlers, trimmers, painters, fettlers and tweakers looking for profitable ‘projects’.

The Daimlers have tended to carry on into old age unrestored, frequently in the gentle ownership of retired vicars who use them only for pottering hither and thither, probably somewhere in Wiltshire.

But with MkIIs now out of reach to all but the most capacious of trouser pockets, the Daimler is looking like a very attractive alternative.

And that’s the opportunity this vendor has appreciated and seized.

This car has been through two distinct phases of restoration. The first phase, carried out from 2016 to 2019 involved a ground-up, bare metal rebuild and respray, plus some attention to the mechanicals.

The second phase, carried out over the last two years under the vendor’s watch, and at his expense, consisted of the highest quality mechanical restoration, a full engine, brakes and suspension rebuild, and a thoroughly restored interior.

The second phase, in our opinion and that of the vendor, was superior in quality to the first phase.

In short, this is a very sensitively and skillfully restored car with the proviso that some of the first phase restoration work, while entirely well intentioned, was sometimes just a tad shy of the very highest echelons of the restorer’s craft.

The vendor has spent a great deal of time and money trying to get the whole vehicle up to the lofty standards of the second phase restoration and, we feel, he’s largely succeeded.

Highlights of the restoration work include:

* bare metal respray, re-chroming, new leather on front seats and door cards, recon rear seats, new headliner, new Moto-Lita steering wheel, re-veneered dash

* new carpets, recon engine (now unleaded), recon auto box, electric ignition, power steering, electric cooling fan upgrade

* new chrome wire wheels with Daimler nuts and spare in boot, upgraded Fosseway disc brakes all round, new tyres, relined petrol tank, new petrol pump, recon brake pedal assembly….and loads more.

It all adds up to a spend of over £40,000.

So, that’s £40k you won’t have to spend.

It looks fabulous, drives extremely well and starts and stops on the button. There are no troublesome rattles, clunks, whines or groans. Everything feels tight and well screwed together. The engine sounds throaty and purposeful and the acceleration is as good as it should be.

The steering is light and responsive and while it’s never going to handle like a Lotus Elan, it feels nimble, agile and lively.

The utterly bombproof V8 is as smooth and silky as a lightly oiled otter.

The bodywork, engine, drivetrain, brakes, suspension and all greasy bits have been replaced, rebuilt, refurbished or repaired according to need and in keeping with a desire to keep the car as authentic and original as possible.

The result, quite clearly (look at the restoration photographs) is a labour of love, and one that’s created a car that’s as good to drive as it is to look at or sit in.

We like it a lot.

It really is a very handsome car, there’s no mistaking that, and taken as a whole it looks very smart indeed.

The dark blue paintwork has plenty of shine and lustre to it and, aside from the odd nick here and there, is in fine fettle.

The panels are smooth and even. The doors close with a satisfyingly precise thunk.

Being pretty much brand new, the extensive chrome work is in top condition.

The new chrome wire wheels are immaculate and really lift the car’s appearance. The tyres are also new and show no signs of wear.

The lights, trim and badging are mostly in very good nick.

But it’s not perfect.

There are places where superficial rust is starting to show its face. The inside edges of the wheel arches, a couple of seams here and there, underneath the V8 badge on the boot, in the bottom front corner of both A pillars, under the rubber trim on the sills, under the spare wheel and beneath the carpets at the front.

But the key word, for now, is superficial.

There’s no galloping rot and there won’t be for some time – but there are one or two areas to keep an eye on, particularly where the rubber trim is getting a bit mangled around the sills.

The good news continues on the inside, which is a delightful symphony of beige leather, shiny chrome, rich wood veneers and vibrant blue carpets.

It really does look very good indeed – everything from the dashboard switches, so wonderfully evocative of their time, to the shiny V8 kick plates.

The new wood veneers look fabulous, as does the new Mota-Lita steering wheel. The centre console, dashboard and door cards are unmarked and in good order, save for some bagginess in the leather on the driver’s door card.

The headlining is new and looks it. The undersides of the sun visors, though, are a little spotty and marked, and would thank the next owner for being shown a chamois and some soapy water.

The front seats have been reupholstered and are a pleasure to look at and sit on. The leather at the rear of the front seats has yet to be finally trimmed and fitted at the bottom but we can’t imagine that this would be a Herculean task.

The rear seats have had the leather reconditioned. Yes, there are a few cracks here and there and the leather wears the patina of its age with pride.

But it is 53 years old.

When this car was brand new in 1968, Steve McQueen was tearing up the streets of San Francisco as Bullitt and Dustin Hoffman was beginning to suspect that Mrs. Robinson’s interest in him was far from innocent.

Some of the rubber seals, particularly around the doors, need re-seating or, where they’ve started to crack, replacing.

The trim on the inside of the C pillars is either unfinished or has come adrift. Either way, it’s on the (short) list of stuff to do.

As far as we can tell, the electrics are all present, correct and functional, with the exception of the interior fan switch, which has steadfastly refused to do anything useful for us.

The boot is cavernous and in good nick, with a spare wheel, spinner tool, mallet and jack under the floor. Lifting up the carpets here or elsewhere in the car reveals a superficial bloom of rust dust, but nothing to make a strong woman faint or a weak man’s chin wobble.

The engine bay metalwork is really good all the way down. The engine looks freshly built. Which it is.

Overall, the undersides look in very fine condition. Most of what you’re looking at is either new, refurbished or repaired, so we think you can have confidence in its mechanical integrity.

There is no service book with the car, but it does have plenty of bills, invoices and old MoTs plus, of course, copious photographic and invoice evidence of the £40k+ that’s been lavished on this Daimler 250 V8 over the last few years.

The car doesn’t currently have an MoT (it’s exempt by virtue of its longevity), but its last MoT was passed, with no advisories, in April 2019, since when it has added fewer than 300 miles.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you are able to travel and you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

We think this is a very good example of both the model and the marque. It has had proper money spent on it, at the right time.

It has been carefully restored with a view to preserving its authenticity and enhancing the driving experience with a fettled powertrain and better brakes and suspension.

In our opinion, this lovely 1968 Daimler is a joy to behold and offers a driving experience that’s a testament to the expertise of the mechanics who breathed new life into it.

No, the bodywork from the first phase of the restoration isn’t perfect. And, yes, there are one or two things still to do.

But, overall, this is great car and one that could be bought and enjoyed as it is, or pushed the final few yards towards truly exemplary condition with a third phase of purely aesthetic restoration.

The choice, as ever, is entirely yours.

We’re happy to offer this vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £19,000 – £23,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; 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’.