DAIMLER DOUBLE SIX VANDEN PLAS
Discussion
This car came into me originally for an inspection from a chap in Holland who wants to keep a nice classic in the UK. He ended up buying it, mainly because it is virtually rust free, and we sorted it for a wee Highland trip for him and his gracious old mum before the winter sets in.
It's years since I've worked on one of these and it turns out there are only around ten left in the UK. I'd forgotten how utterly superb they are to drive. We had to rebuild the rear suspension, sort out the exhaust and steering and strip down the manifolds and carbs as there were air leaks everywhere, but it was well worth the effort.
The big V12 is just a turbine and the kickdown produces effortless overtaking power with no drama. For me the best part is the superb Vanden Plas interior based on the Series 1 dash.
Enjoy :-
Beautiful autumn morning pic.
Imposing Daimler grill
Curly tail pipes and bags of glass
The badge says it all!
Great poise and sleek lines
Straight as the day it was new
Now this is what I call an interior, a wonderful place to be
Who remembers 8 tracks? Standard on the Daimler and a great sound.
Wonderful cockpit - to hell with ergonomics when it looks this good!
One of the best views and surely the best colour available only on the Vanden Plas.
Ready for a trip to the Highlands.
J
It's years since I've worked on one of these and it turns out there are only around ten left in the UK. I'd forgotten how utterly superb they are to drive. We had to rebuild the rear suspension, sort out the exhaust and steering and strip down the manifolds and carbs as there were air leaks everywhere, but it was well worth the effort.
The big V12 is just a turbine and the kickdown produces effortless overtaking power with no drama. For me the best part is the superb Vanden Plas interior based on the Series 1 dash.
Enjoy :-
Beautiful autumn morning pic.
Imposing Daimler grill
Curly tail pipes and bags of glass
The badge says it all!
Great poise and sleek lines
Straight as the day it was new
Now this is what I call an interior, a wonderful place to be
Who remembers 8 tracks? Standard on the Daimler and a great sound.
Wonderful cockpit - to hell with ergonomics when it looks this good!
One of the best views and surely the best colour available only on the Vanden Plas.
Ready for a trip to the Highlands.
J
StuntmanMike said:
rouge59 said:
Lovely car.
I do hope it has a valid MOT certificate.
I do hope it has a valid MOT certificate.
What an odd comment to make.O.P the ultimate V12 saloon for me would be the series 2 with the series 1 interior.
Stunning car
, I would love a shot in it but I never really liked that big grill look they had going on.Thanks for posting this, I have great memories of my Dad running Daimlers and XJ's from the late 60's to late 70's. He only had one double-six, a Series-one VDP (Only 351 built). It was a beautiful car and as a young lad and already a Daimler / Jag fanatic it made me as proud as punch.
To his dying day my old man said it was the most wonderful and most unreliable thing he ever owned ! The remaining cars he owned were 4.2's.
To his dying day my old man said it was the most wonderful and most unreliable thing he ever owned ! The remaining cars he owned were 4.2's.
Edited by jonesof63 on Sunday 27th September 21:31
Edited by jonesof63 on Sunday 27th September 21:32
mph said:
I'm thinking that an S1 XJ may be a worthwhile purchase as they're great cars and decent ones are thin on the ground now.
Not sure if I can live with the V12 fuel consumption though.
You are absolutely spot on about the fuel consumption mph. The problem of course is running a V12 engine of this size on Stromberg carbs. But this car will only get occasional use in fair weather, so it's not really a substantial problem.Not sure if I can live with the V12 fuel consumption though.
The V12 engine is an absolute stonker though, and the one to go for if you want a Series 1. I personally prefer the Jag because most of them were short wheelbase and the handling was tremendous, particularly in that era.
Great story: the buyer phoned me late Friday from Fort William to say that the car was going well but he kept getting flashed by other cars and realised that the headlights were "jammed on main beam". He couldn't get them to go off. I told him to look at the floor to the left of the brake pedal and see if he could spot another small pedal on the floor and push it. I actually heard the click over the phone as he did so and then he burst into laughter as he realised this was the dipswitch!
They don't make them like that any more!
J
jith said:
You are absolutely spot on about the fuel consumption mph. The problem of course is running a V12 engine of this size on Stromberg carbs. But this car will only get occasional use in fair weather, so it's not really a substantial problem.
The V12 engine is an absolute stonker though, and the one to go for if you want a Series 1. I personally prefer the Jag because most of them were short wheelbase and the handling was tremendous, particularly in that era.
J
I know the V12E types are often converted to SU's which supposedly gives better performance and fuel consumption. I wonder if this along with fitting a later four-speed auto box would give "reasonable" fuel consumption ?The V12 engine is an absolute stonker though, and the one to go for if you want a Series 1. I personally prefer the Jag because most of them were short wheelbase and the handling was tremendous, particularly in that era.
J
I would absolutely love an S1 V12 but would want to use it for touring.
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