1976 Daimler SOVEREIGN

Formerly the property of a Brown’s Lane employee, this car is only for sale from a small private collection because the owner needs to free up some space and money after being seduced by a Jensen that was too good to pass up. 

As a result, the new owner will benefit from a car that has had time and money lavished on it in all the right places.

Old English White is a very period colour and suits the car well, especially when it’s set off by a lovely black vinyl roof.

The main problem with these old Jaguars and Daimlers is rust, something this example seems to have successfully dodged. While there is a small amount of rust bubbling on the front wings and driver’s side headlight, there is no rust in the usual places like the boot or floorpan. 

This time-warp condition is supported by the UK government’s excellent online MOT History Check, which shows ten years’ of MOT history for this car. At no point has any tester found any evidence of rust and rot worth mentioning, not even as an advisory. That’s quite an endorsement of the car’s structural integrity.

The inside is a great order for a car that is now 40 years old. It is a bit faded in places, with a small split on the drivers seat (visible in the pictures) and although you could make a case for re-stuffing the headrests, we’d argue that that is four decades of patina and history; in our opinion, this makes the car far more desirable than an overly restored trailer queen with too-taut seats with an unnatural shine.

Having said that, the oxblood red leather should respond well to traditional cleaning techniques and could be transformed with a day’s worth of elbow grease. The result would be very presentable indeed and make you the envy of all who behold it.

The torque converter has just been replaced and the automatic gearbox refurbished. Small beer, you might think, but it’s two fewer things for the new owner to worry about – and with old British cars, every little helps!

It also runs beautifully, with good oil pressure spot and no smoke, thanks to a new engine back in 1990, which cost a whopping £3,500, which was probably far more than the car was then worth. That’s foresight for you, and a very tangible demonstration of the faith that he had that this was a good example and worth investing in…

The Daimler comes with a huge quantity of paperwork, including old MOTs and tax discs, invoices and bills, and a photographic record of its bare-metal restoration back in the late 1990s. 

The previous owner was, as we’ve seen, an ex-Jaguar employee and he spent the years between 1995 and 2004 fiddling and fettling the car to make sure that it was as good as he could make it. The mileage since then has been minimal.

The current owner sourced it from a chap who’d owned it since 2010, so it’s enjoyed long periods of stability, which is always a good sign; beware the car that’s had a dozen owners in as many years…

The colour isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste, but if it is then you’re going to save a bundle over buying a car with a more popular hue; with good examples going for twice this car’s reserve, the only reason not to buy is if you don’t like white cars.

With an action estimate of £14k, the Daimler Coupe is only going to go one way and this example is a fine place to start. We’d start with a thorough course of rust-proofing and then deal with the odd niggle as and when it arises, content in the knowledge that we’re enjoying almost free motoring in an iconic British classic. 

The car can be viewed near Lichfield in Staffordshire to arrange use the 'Contact Seller' button above or ask any questions in the comments section below.