Number of cylinders: 8
Service history: Present
Registration number: 27-ST-GR

Do you know what the truly tragic thing about Daimler is? Not the marque, not the car, but the fact that almost nobody understands what it's about anymore. Say 'Daimler' to the average Briton and they start on about lorries, or about Mercedes, or look at you as though you've just announced you collect antique doorknobs. And that while Daimler is actually the most refined thing the British Empire ever put on wheels. Older than Jaguar. Royal Warrant holder. The car the Queen Mother was chauffeured about in when you and I didn't even exist yet.

Here's the joke, you see: under Jaguar ownership, the Daimler badge became the holy grail of the X350/X358 series. You took a Jaguar XJ, threw at it everything the company had to offer, fitted a fluted grille and topped it off with that little crown in the badge. And there was your Daimler. The most expensive, the quietest, the most fully equipped variant in existence. Not the car for the man who wants you to see he has money. The car for the man who doesn't want you to see it, but who does want you to know it.

And then the Super 8. This is the supreme boss of the X358 line. Long Wheelbase, so the version in which the rear passengers can stretch their legs as though they're on their way to a gala rather than to the corner shop. Under the bonnet a 4.2 V8 with a supercharger on top, good for 396 bhp. That sounds like brute force, and it can be, but the beautiful thing about this car is that it wraps all that power in velvet. You press the accelerator and the entire world slides backwards without a single thing changing in the cabin. No drama. No roaring. Just a whispering BWWHOOOSH from the supercharger and then the horizon is suddenly closer. A launch on the Thames, but one with 396 bhp lurking in the back of its mind.

And here comes the detail that makes connoisseurs smile: that whole X358 has an aluminium body. That means this Daimler, despite all its opulence and its LWB length of well over five metres, sits surprisingly light on the road. Kerb weight under two thousand kilos. A British limousine that knows it's large but behaves as though that's a choice, not a limitation.

The Super 8 offered here is one with a story that stacks up perfectly. Delivered new in the Netherlands and always kept here, no import, no export, no fuss. One owner cherished it for a full thirteen years. On average this car has barely covered more than a shopping list's worth of distance per year in recent times. So this is no worn-out company hack, this is a car that has been treated with kid gloves its whole life and faithfully taken to the dealer and later to trusted addresses in the Bollenstreek for its servicing. Service booklet present, neatly filled in, from Kroymans in Hilversum right through to the last MOT this spring.

The colour is Garnet, a deep garnet red that on a grey Dutch day looks almost black and only reveals its true nature in sunlight. Beneath it, it sits on four fresh Michelin Pilot Sport 4's in size 255/35 R20, all four evenly worn, with a thick layer of tread still underneath. Inside, and this is where the Daimler decisively beats its Jaguar siblings, you'll find leather and wood in quantities that would make an English gentlemen's club jealous. Four seats in the LWB, because in this segment it isn't about how many people you take along, but about how grandly those two in the back travel.

Don't get me wrong: this is not a car to tear round Silverstone in. This is the car you drive to Silverstone in, step out of, and around which everyone falls a little quieter without knowing why. Because that's the inimitable thing about Daimler. It's discreet, it's composed, and that's precisely why it's so much rarer and more interesting than yet another black German on the driveway.

The Queen Mother is no longer with us. Her taste, happily, is standing right here in the showroom.

Special features
• Daimler Super 8 4.2 V8 Supercharged, 396 bhp, the absolute pinnacle of the X358 line
• Long Wheelbase version, wheelbase 3,160 mm, well over five metres of grandeur
• Aluminium body (X358), surprisingly light for its size
• Rare colour Garnet, deep garnet red
• Delivered new in the Netherlands, entirely Dutch history, no import or export
• No damage or accident history reported
• Long-term in trusted private ownership, thirteen years with one owner
• Service booklet present, from Kroymans Jaguar Hilversum to the present day
• Four fresh Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres 255/35 R20 with ample tread
• Full leather and wood finish, four seats in LWB luxury
• Factory Jaguar/Daimler alarm system with certificate

Written with a cup of Earl Grey within arm's reach,
Nick Slinger

STEP 2 IN SHOWROOM | HooG Selections

The Daimler Super 8 2006 is now in our showroom in Katwijk - € 49.950. The full presentation is complete: the cover is off and the car can be viewed right away.

At HooG Selections exclusively carefully selected classic vehicles, fully documented:
✔ Over 75 professional photos
✔ Fully scanned service history
✔ Official Carfax vehicle report
✔ Paint thickness report per body panel
✔ Complete original documentation

Visit our 6,000 m² showroom in Katwijk or view everything at:
www.hoogselections.nl