THE STORY

Designed from scratch, Daimler’s SP250 is a Hemi V8 powered, fibreglass bodied sports car manufactured from 1959 to 1964. The cars weighed only 948 kg.

It was the last car to be launched by Daimler before its parent company, the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA), sold out to Jaguar in 1960.

The original plan was to sell two-thirds of the cars to the USA - a large number of the car’s features were deliberately made “optional extras” to avoid import duties into that country.

Fibreglass was the body of choice as it saved tooling costs, vehicle weight and represented a lower cost if the styling was changed. Coupled with the V8 engine, these cars had a top speed of 199 kmph.

The manual gearbox, the first of the type used by Daimler, was reverse-engineered from the standard manual unit used in the Triumph TR3A. Four-wheel Girling disc brakes were fitted.

The model was originally launched as the “Daimler Dart”, but the name was soon changed to the “SP250” following a threat of legal action from Chrysler whose Dodge division owned the trademark for the model name “Dart”.

Black SP250s were used by the British Metropolitan Police in London to chase down speeding motorists, notably café racers. The cars were also used by police in other English counties and in Australia and New Zealand.

In the USA, the cars developed an enthusiastic following on both road and track.

THE CAR 

Lively and beautiful Daimler SP250 manufactured in October/November 1959 and finished in yellow with black leather interior.

Original Hemi-alloy head 2.5 litre V8 engine with twin HS6 SU carburettors and unbelievable exhaust note for this size V8.

The car has its correct 4-speed manual transmission with synchromesh that was rebuilt, along with the clutch, in 2018. The Girling 4 wheel disc brakes are in place.

Also in 2018, the radiator core was replaced and a recovery system for the coolant added.

Other upgrades include rack and pinion steering, electronic ignition, an alternator conversion, battery isolator, Davies Craig electric fan with manual and automatic switching, spin-on oil filter conversion, metal “T” hoses, LED brake and indicator lights, halogen headlights, retractable lap seat belts and a stainless steel fuel tank.

The beautiful chrome 72-spoke wire wheels are clad in 5 new tyres and there is a full tonneau cover. All other chrome on the car is in good condition.

The car has some minor paint and fibreglass issues and the current owner has enjoyed this car for past 8 years and has kept up its maintenance.

Only 2,654 examples were built over the 5 year production life, making this a rare piece of English sports car history.