1996 Daimler Century V12

Beatrice, as she’s charmingly known, has been owned by a diehard Jaguar enthusiast for the past eleven years. Bought from a doctor in Scotland, another Jaguar devotee, she’s been pampered and cherished during his ownership. Downsizing and the loss of a parking space forces this reluctant sale of a much-loved family friend.

The cherished registration number of M10 OGM is being removed prior to sale and it is expected that the DVLA will reissue the old registration number of N547 YRW.

(Apologies for the quality of the photographs and the road-grime on the bodywork; try as we might, we finally had to admit defeat in the face of the current appalling weather conditions! - as always we recommend viewing, and this Daimler can be found near Bridgend)

Finished in Spruce Green, the coachwork is unusually solid. It does bear evidence of a few touchups over the years plus the odd car-park ding and scratch. A lot of this would buff out nicely but we can see a full respray being necessary at some point.

The underside of the vehicle is showing some signs of mild corrosion but it does look to be largely superficial and could be easily caught with wire brushing followed by an application of a good quality underseal. The rear offside light cluster is cracked and will need replacing and the rear bumper trim is coming away too.

The electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, complete with power foldback, still work as they should, as does the electric sunroof.

Rust is limited to the base of the nearside front wing and offside rear wheelarch, and a small area on the sunroof. None of these areas look to be too bad and it should be possible to effect repairs simply and easily if they are caught in the near future.

The chrome wheels are in generally good condition but will need refurbishment at some point. They are shod with matching tyres with good tread.

Finished in sumptuous Silk White leather, the interior is so decadent as to feature twin picnic tables and roof-mounted vanity mirrors in the rear (the latter a luxury unique to the Century model). Available in both five and four seater versions, this example has the individual rear seat option; both rear seats are, as you might expect, heated and electrically adjustable in four ways. Their condition is almost as-new and the vehicle’s extended wheelbase gives vast legroom.

The electrically adjustable, heated front leather seats do show some gentle creasing, especially on the driver’s side, as does the centre armrest/cubby box. However, there are no rips, tears or holes and we think they could be refurbished at little cost. The steering wheel is also electrically adjustable for both rake and reach and has a memory function.

The headlining was replaced around six months ago at considerable cost and the quality of the rest of the interior is very good, with the Century detailing still intact. However, the joystick controller for the door mirrors has snapped off and the LCD display for the heater will need replacing or repairing; the owner tells us that this can be repaired for around £100.

The Harman Kardon stereo features no fewer than nine speakers, plus a boot-mounted Jaguar-branded CD autochanger, Harman Kardon power amplifier and an electric aerial. All the electrics work as they should, and the air-conditioning system is leak-free and blows cold air having been recharged a couple of years ago.

The V12 engine is possibly the most refined engine ever fitted to a road-going vehicle and it, along with the automatic gearbox, is running perfectly thanks to a comprehensive service history.

The owner also tells us that the car is free of mechanical faults and so should need nothing doing to it save for continued routine servicing.

The engine bay is clean but could do with detailing in places to improve the top of the front valance.

The car comes with a stamped service history; please see the photographs of the book for full details.

The original toolkit looks to be unused, as does the boot-mounted emergency warning triangle.

There are over 150 photos in the Gallery to peruse at your leisure.

From an initial production run of just 200 vehicles in total, there are only believed to be around 20 vehicles left in the United Kingdom, 25% of which are SORN’d. This MOT’d example is in need of a little TLC but is a good solid example that would make an ideal candidate for a gentle rolling refurbishment project.

With excellent examples going for in excess of £20,000 (if you can find one for sale, that is…) we expect this car to sell for around half that. Which is a very small sum to pay to be able to own such a well-appointed car: the difference between a Daimler Century and a standard high-end Jaguar is “the difference between sitting in a luxury cabin and a stateroom”.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in South Wales; 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.