1968 Daimler V8 250

First registered on 4 July 1968, this Daimler V8-250 spent the first three decades in the South Buckinghamshire area before moving up to Lincolnshire for most of the noughties. It then returned to the home counties west of London before a brief spell in East Sussex.

It was then sold to the current owner by Graeme Hunt of Kensington in December 2013, since when it has resided in Berkshire, first in Burghfield and latterly near Hungerford.

Our vendor had always liked the shape of the Jaguar Mk2 and also loved the sound of a V8, so when he saw this one advertised in Motorsport magazine he immediately phoned the dealer and arranged a test drive.

Despite owning it for over 7 years, he’s added fewer than 1,000 miles to the car, but has enjoyed taking it to local shows and has always tried to drive it regularly when the weather is good. When not in use, it has been kept in a dehumidified garage.

With even less use in recent years, and advancing age meaning that getting under the car for a bit of tinkering isn’t as easy as it once might have been, he has decided to sell.

The Opalescent Silver Grey paint on this V8-250 is damn near perfect. Although there were more colourful options in the late ‘60s, even for a sober Daimler, this shade really accentuates and flatters the already gorgeous William Lyons curves.

The bodywork itself is also sharp and straight, with relatively even panel gaps and parallel shutlines that some robot-built cars of today would be envious of.

As befitting its luxury marque status, there is extensive chrome on the Daimler, not least the front fluted-top grille, slimline bumpers and overriders but also the window and lamp surrounds, edge trims on the bonnet and down the sides of the car and the wing mirrors; fitted where their name suggests. All of it appears complete and in good condition except for the rear bumper where there is some lifting on the top surface.

The car sits on its original 15-inch steel wheels, painted in body colour and finished with chromed Daimler D hubcaps. All the wheels are in a very good condition and were fitted with matching Michelin tubed tyres in September of last year.

The interior looks incredibly original, upholstered in dark blue leather on the seats and door trims with the fluted seat facings also being “ventilated” for greater comfort. There is only light wear and creasing on the seats, just enough to show their originality but not enough to cause any damage.

The instrument panel and dash is cloaked in a lovely orangey-brown wood, which appears in good condition and sets off the black Smiths dials and gorgeously analogue switchgear. Also framed in the same wood are the windows. The vendor reports that the clock doesn’t work - a common problem with Jaguar-Daimlers of the period - but who needs to know how long you’ve been wafting around in such a lovely car?

Whilst not of the car’s period, there is a retro-looking Elftone Tourist radio cassette player mounted centrally under the dash. Something with a little more chrome across the fascia would really finish off the period look up front.

The light grey flocked headlining has a few spots of discoloration but is otherwise clean and taut. The blue carpets seem in reasonable order throughout and underneath the floor pans appear solid. There is a little wear and discolouration on the rear of the front seats, where the lower frame is covered.

Under the bonnet, designed around the much larger Jaguar XK engine block, the Turner V8 seems to take up very little space and sits well back in the engine bay, giving better weight distribution. The engine and ancillaries are largely original and appear in great condition. The later model Daimlers like this were built with negative earth electrics and an alternator instead of a dynamo/generator and also had an air filter for each bank of cylinders.

The undersides of the car carry a little road grime and dirt but the majority has a good coating of underseal or waxoyl. Although one jacking point is understood to have been replaced, all other underbody parts and panels are original and intact.

In the boot, there is mostly painted metal on show but there is a fitted liner over the floor which appears in good order. Under a floor panel is the full-size spare steel wheel with identical rubber to the operational set. Nestled in the wheel is a fitted tray containing a handful of tools and running spares. A jack is mounted on the rear bulkhead. There are a few patches of light rust here and there across the boot floor and around the rim but nothing of great concern.

The car has its original book pack, together with the Passport to Service covering its first handful of years in South Bucks. There is also an instruction manual, sales facilities booklet, a file of MoTs and various tax discs together with invoices for servicing works undertaken.

The Daimler has a current MoT valid until October 2021, which it passed with just a note about a slightly perished ball joint rubber. It was its first inspection since 2015, prior to which it seems to have been tested annually despite being exempt and only covering a handful of miles a year since the mid-90s as follows.

There is a documentary gap between the 21,767 miles recorded at a service in 1976 and at 28,182 in 1989 when it is understood that the car was in storage, but the progression of mileage before and since, added to the condition and originality of the car is convincing enough that the current 37,200 mileage is nothing other than genuine.

There are a handful of more recent invoices from specialists such as Tom Lenthal for work on the brakes, servicing and for new tyres, tubes and valves.

When new, the luxuriously appointed Daimler V8-250 was more expensive than its Jaguar Mk2 visual twin and its automatic gearbox and powered steering gave the less racy upper middle class or aristocracy a leisurely, quiet and unhurried drive.

With its excellent, highly original condition, low mileage and great colouring, this superb example is possibly one of the best in the country. It starts literally on the button (as long as the gearshift is in Neutral or hard across into Park) and runs better now than it probably did when it left the factory.

It really is gorgeous and as close to a perfect example of the marque that we’ve ever seen. We think it will sell for between £16,000 and £24,000, which to our minds is a bargain.

The Daimler oozes class and is now much better value pound for pound than its all but identical looking Jaguar Mk2 sibling. Indeed if we were valuing a Jag in the same original condition, the estimate could even be double.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm, and 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’.