Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe

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The Daimler DB18 was launched in 1939 with a 2.5-litre 70bhp overhead-valve six-cylinder engine and was essentially a development of the earlier Daimler New Fifteen.

Built on a cruciform-braced chassis with an underslung worm-drive axle and independent front suspension, it had beautifully light worm-and-roller steering and Girling mechanical brakes. Transmission was by Daimler’s traditional pre-selector gearbox allied to a fluid flywheel which gave it a top speed of 80mph with a 0-60mph time of around 17 seconds. The standard saloon had coachwork by Mulliners of Birmingham but drophead bodies by Charlesworth, Abbott, Barker and Tickford were also available.

First registered in July 1950, this lovely Barker-bodied four-seat tourer comes with a very large history file from new and is well-known in Daimler circles. Substantially restored in the 1970s, it was also fitted with a ‘new old stock’ engine in 1994 (one of a batch of six acquired by a previous owner from the Ministry of Defence and still in its original crate and waxed wrapping paper!). Since the new engine was fitted the car has covered less than 13,000 miles and is now nicely run in. It certainly started up promptly and ran beautifully on the occasion of our visit to take these pictures.

The car has had just five owners from new and has been in the current ownership since 2005, being kept garaged and used very sparingly in fine weather only, covering a mere 600 miles or so in the last 10 years. The current indicated mileage of around 97,000 is almost certainly genuine and is backed up by a large number of old MOTs back to 1970.

Bills on file show that new rear shock absorbers were fitted in 2007 and a stainless steel exhaust system in 1996. Aside from the aforementioned history file, it also comes with its original tool kit and wheel changing kit, a maintenance manual, parts catalogue, fluid flywheel self-changing transmission manual and copies of the original workshop and service manuals.

A fine looking car in all respects, it is only reluctantly for sale due to the advancing years of the vendor who now finds it a bit too much of a handful and has decided that he would be better served by a smaller and more manageable classic instead. One of only around 500 Barker-bodied DB18s produced, it now needs a more sprightly sixth owner to give it the more regular exercise that it deserves.