Daimler Conquest Century

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The Conquest was launched within four months of Bernard Docker taking over operational control of Daimler in 1953. Designed to spice up the product range and bring Daimler to a wider audience, it was a roaring success.

Based on the old Leda/14hp four-cylinder engine, the new six-pot 2,433cc engine developed some 80bhp. The bodywork was a conglomeration of the outgoing models made entirely of steel and weighed in at around 1,300kg, no featherweight but still less than a new Golf GTi today!

Driveability was a strong point, its pre-selector gearbox complementing its engine well and the double-wishbone front suspension with telescopic dampers and an anti-roll bar verged towards the sporty. Lashings of leather and wood with restrained styling kept the traditionalist happy too. Priced at £1,066 (well a Conquest would be, wouldn’t it?) some 5,000 were to be produced before the Suez Crisis and petrol rationing rapidly drew sales to a halt.

From 1954 onwards the company introduced the Conquest Century, a 100bhp model which was good for 90mph. An alloy head, twin SUs, raised compression ratio and a high-lift cam were fitted which proved very popular, the majority of Conquests produced being sold with this specification.

This well presented car was originally registered in Montgomeryshire in 1954 and was purchased by the vendor back in the ‘90s. He undertook a full engine rebuild, including a crankshaft regrind, rebore and unleaded head conversion. Refitted to the car in 1999, it has covered under 2,000 miles since.

He then set about restoring the bodywork, with repairs to the door bottoms, photographs of which are on file. The car was finally professionally resprayed by Autofinish in Eardisley.

The twin SU carburettors have just been rebuilt with full rebuild kits supplied by Holdens, the vendor reporting that the car runs and drives as well as it looks. Taxed until September 2015 and MOT exempt, this very attractive example is only for sale due to the advancing years of its owner.