1935 Daimler 2.0-Litre 15hp Saloon
Registration no. AOR 107
Chassis no. 40356
Engine no. 40356

One of the founding firms of the British motor industry, Daimler was part of the expanding BSA group by 1911. By this time the adoption of the refined 'Silent Knight' sleeve-valve engine had done much to turn around the company's fortunes and establish Daimler as a marque committed to engineering excellence, a policy which continued in the 1920s with the introduction of the 'Double-Six' - Britain's first V12. A range of overhead-valve sixes was phased in during the 1930s and the ageing sleeve-valve replaced by a new overhead-valve straight eight, a move that enabled Daimler to maintain its place in the front rank of suppliers to the carriage trade. The 'eight' maintained the standards set by its predecessors and, when mated to Daimler's fluid flywheel transmission, the result was a manner of progress unmatched for smoothness of take-off and silent running. These traditional Daimler characteristics had long endeared the marque to the nobility, and indeed, throughout the 1920s and 1930s the company's products were preferred by the Royal Family to those of rivals Rolls-Royce.

For the owner-driver yearning for something a cut above the average, Daimler offered the smaller, lighter and cheaper overhead-valve engined range, commencing with the 15hp model of 1933. Daimler's BSA parent had acquired Lanchester in 1931, and the new Fifteen's engine was effectively a six-cylinder version of the Laurence Pomeroy-designed four powering the Lanchester Ten. The Fifteen's 1,805cc six drove via the traditional fluid flywheel transmission and worm-drive rear axle, while other chassis features included a mechanical fuel pump, push-on handbrake and servo-assisted hydraulic brakes. Revamped with a 2.0-litre engine for 1935, the Fifteen remained in production until the end of 1936, by which time around 6,000 cars had been sold, making it the most successful Daimler to date.
This 2.0-litre Fifteen was acquired in 2011 from a Daimler enthusiast and has seen little use since then. An old-style continuation logbook on file shows that 'AOR 107' resided in the Basingstoke area of Hampshire before coming to the Northeast. The car started readily when viewed recently, and its condition is described by the private vendor as 'good for age'. Accompanying documentation consists of the aforementioned logbook, a dating certificate, sundry bills, expired MoT (December 2012) and a V5 registration document. Three instruction manuals and a photocopied wiring diagram are included in the sale.