Seventies waftamatic: 1973 Daimler Sovereign Series One 4.2
Discussion
This car was sold by Charles Follett Limited in Mayfair in May 1973, to a Mr R Woodley who lived in Rutland Gardens, South Kensington. A couple of years later it went to a Mr Powell Smith in Leicester, and from there to a Mrs Kibling in Fife. By the end of the 80s it had done about 39,000 miles. It may then have been in storage for a while, had a partial restoration in the early noughties, and was owned by a Jaguar and Daimler enthusiast in Bristol for a while. He sold the car to me this week, and it's now back in London, stored pending some further work on bodywork and other things. The car has now done about 49,000 miles (mileage backed up by history file).
Good things: XK40 DOHC straight six engine with twin SU HS8 carbs, MoT until August, new ish stainless steel exhausts, OK tyres, new full length Webasto, massive history file, low miles, drives reeet tidy like (really quite fast). The horrid AED (autochoke, dreadful device) has been disabled. Electronic ignition but in other ways mucho originalo - no door or wing mirrors, 8 Track stereo (working), windy up windows. I drove along the M4 listening to news from my homeland on RTE (Radio Telefis Eireann) on Long Wave, and very jolly it was too.
Bad things: No manual chokes fitted as yet. Cold starting needs a chum on hand to spray carby cleaner into the air intake. The rev counter is not connected, only one of the twin tanks is working (spare in boot, plus many other spares) and the fuel gauge is not working. The heater seems not to be working. There is mucho bleb around the bottom bits of the body, but nothing that appears beyond fixing.
The interior is in fair nick - black levva and carpets. The dash veneer has gone a bit near the speedo. Trim nay bad. The lights and electrics all work. I like it!
Good things: XK40 DOHC straight six engine with twin SU HS8 carbs, MoT until August, new ish stainless steel exhausts, OK tyres, new full length Webasto, massive history file, low miles, drives reeet tidy like (really quite fast). The horrid AED (autochoke, dreadful device) has been disabled. Electronic ignition but in other ways mucho originalo - no door or wing mirrors, 8 Track stereo (working), windy up windows. I drove along the M4 listening to news from my homeland on RTE (Radio Telefis Eireann) on Long Wave, and very jolly it was too.
Bad things: No manual chokes fitted as yet. Cold starting needs a chum on hand to spray carby cleaner into the air intake. The rev counter is not connected, only one of the twin tanks is working (spare in boot, plus many other spares) and the fuel gauge is not working. The heater seems not to be working. There is mucho bleb around the bottom bits of the body, but nothing that appears beyond fixing.
The interior is in fair nick - black levva and carpets. The dash veneer has gone a bit near the speedo. Trim nay bad. The lights and electrics all work. I like it!
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 12th February 23:47
I was in the Dog and Duck, when this ponce says there'd be a pony in it for me if I'd be wheelman on a blag up West, but I nevva knew there'd be shootaz, honest, Mr Regan.
Here it is with a Transit, but not a Mark 1, alas. Still, geezah, eh?
Here it is with a Transit, but not a Mark 1, alas. Still, geezah, eh?
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 12th February 18:04
0a said:
Fantastic, and all the better going to a chap with such a, er, historic collection. Hopefully the additions will continue, and will continue to originate cars posted "at" you here on Pistonheads.
How does this compare to the SD1 in a virtual and mismatched twin test?
PH'er and part time dead French President Charles de Gaulle put me onto the Daimo. It is quite a different ride from the SD1. The Daimler is quieter, more gutsy in a straight line, and feels quite old skule. The SD1 is noisier, nimbler, and feels like a car that was striving to be modern and advanced when new. Both are lovely places to sit, and both feel quite Chairman of the Board, although the Daimler Chairman is with a well established FTSE company while the SD1 Chairman is a younger guy at a younger company, maybe one that's getting into 80s tech.How does this compare to the SD1 in a virtual and mismatched twin test?
The car is the one in the link below. It was first put up for sale last autumn, for a bit shy of 4K. The seller has too many Jag projects on the go at once, so chose to sell this one. He reduced the price by over 1K, and I haggled him down from there.
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C659522
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C659522
carinaman said:
Breadvan72, I'm torn between which sounds best the XK or the 6 cylinder Triumph.
How does the XK compare in sound to the AJ16 in your XJS or the lump in the SD1?
The Rover (which has an engine designed by Triumph) sounds best, I think, or at least it does from inside the car. The XJS (AJ6, not AJ16) sounds a bit meh, I think. The twin stainless steel pipes on the Sovereign make it sound good.How does the XK compare in sound to the AJ16 in your XJS or the lump in the SD1?
Hijack very welcome! Your lovely car deserves a thread of its own. Your interior is in better nick than mine, although mine may improve with just a moderate about of loving.
I have been on eBay buying 8 track cassettes (Bowie, Motown, Deep Purple, T Rex, Elton John, and some classical). The car came with an odd collection including Christian pop and Max Boyce comedy reels.
I have been on eBay buying 8 track cassettes (Bowie, Motown, Deep Purple, T Rex, Elton John, and some classical). The car came with an odd collection including Christian pop and Max Boyce comedy reels.
The Series 1 interior definitely looks 60s, and the Series 2 interior looks much more 70s, and to some extent presages the look of the early XJS (albeit that the XJS radically departed from Jag tradition by excluding wood).
The interior of my car is a bit darker than I'd like, but the headlining is pale grey, and the leather and wood and other trim should brighten up with a bit of cleaning. The original Webasto was white, judging by photos in the file, but a black one was fitted a couple of years ago.
The interior of my car is a bit darker than I'd like, but the headlining is pale grey, and the leather and wood and other trim should brighten up with a bit of cleaning. The original Webasto was white, judging by photos in the file, but a black one was fitted a couple of years ago.
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