1967 Daimler Sovereign (3.8 litre)

For sale by auction on Saturday 06 June 2015 with Historics at Brooklands. Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit. Weybridge. Surrey. Call 01753 639170
Based on the 1966 Jaguar 420. a
derivation of the previous S-Type model. the Daimler Sovereign was
readily identified by the traditional Daimler fluted radiator
surround and the interior was furnished with finest quality leather
hide upholstery. polished figured walnut instrument panel and deep
pile carpets that were sufficiently luxurious to satisfy Daimler's
established clientele.

The 420 and Sovereign differed from
the S-Type in having a revised four-headlight nose reminiscent of
the Jaguar Mk. X and were powered by a 4. 2 litre version of the
straight-six XK engine. There were thoughts of fitting the
Sovereign with the Daimler 4. 5 litre V8 engine. as used in the
Majestic Major but. as this was significantly more powerful than
the Jaguar XK unit and would have led to the Sovereign
outperforming the Jaguar 420. Consequently company management did
not pursue the idea as the Jaguar marque was the one with the
sporting image.

The 1967 Daimler Sovereign offered
here was built to special order and is of unique specification. In
place of the standard 4. 2 litre twin carburettor engine is a 3. 8
litre E-Type engine with its full complement of three carburettors
which was quoted as producing 265bhp. 20bhp more than the standard
4. 2 litre unit. The gearbox is a four speed manual with overdrive
which was normally only available as an option on the Jaguar 420
and not the Daimler. Also unusual are the wire wheels with
knock-off hub spinners and the battery is in the boot rather than
under the bonnet. both features original to this car.

This Daimler has very recently been
repatriated after spending many years abroad. We are informed that
the first owner was Pink Floyd drummer. Nick Mason and that he
bought the Sovereign as a present to himself after the band's first
hit. Documents supporting this are presently being sought by the
vendor . The Daimler was then exported to Belgium then to Germany
and later to France. where the current vendor purchased it. It has
recently been resprayed in its original colour of dark blue and the
seats have been Connolised. Other recent work includes a
replacement exhaust. a rebuild of the braking system and the
carburettors have been tuned. The vendor has informed us that a new
set of door sealing rubbers will be fitted before the sale.

A short drive showed that the car
drives well and the engine shows good oil pressure. The ride is
smooth and the rebuilt brakes stop the car well. The Daimler has an
MoT test certificate valid until April 2016 and comes with French
ownership documents and some old MoT test certificates. A V5C has
been applied for and the car wears its original registration mark. br/>JAG 163. which we are informed will be made non-transferable by
DVLA as part of the application.

This would. no doubt. respond to some
further interior restoration which. in view of its unusual history
and unique specification. would prove well worth doing. It is an
interesting car and offered at a most attractive estimate.

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