1963 Daimler Dart SP250

Highlights

• Rare all-British V8 roadster, one of just 2,645 SP250s built

• Glorious 2.5-litre hemi-head V8 with the sought-after manual gearbox

• Smart silver-grey glassfibre body on chrome wire wheels

• Handsome red leather cockpit

• Substantial history file

Overview

The SP250 is one of the most charismatic cars ever to wear the Daimler badge, and the last sports car the marque ever built. Launched in 1959, it paired a glassfibre body with a compact 2.5-litre V8 designed by Edward Turner, a mix that quickly earned it the nickname the 'British Corvette'. Just 2,645 were made across five years, so it remains a genuinely rare sight, and one with real pace, flexible power and a glorious V8 soundtrack.

This 1963 car is a late example finished in silver-grey over red leather, riding on chrome wire wheels with three-eared knock-off spinners. It's the combination SP250 enthusiasts tend to want: the four-speed manual gearbox, that free-revving hemi-head V8 and a folding red mohair hood that suits the car's individual styling. The vendor tells us it starts instantly and sounds great, which is exactly what you'd hope for from Turner's little V8.

Inside, it's a proper period British sports car cabin, with a wood-rimmed Moto-Lita wheel, an engine-turned alloy dash and a full set of Smiths instruments. The front seats present beautifully, and the whole car carries the honest patina of a cherished, used classic. It's a lovely example of a car that seldom comes to auction.

History And Documentation

• First registered in 1963

• Four previous owners since 1982

• Substantial history file running to hundreds of pages

• Maintenance from 1990 onwards was largely entrusted to Daimler specialist Newlands Motors of Forest Row, Sussex, covering brakes, front suspension, steering and ignition

• July 1991 work included a new water pump, an axle pinion oil seal, four new track rod ends and a steering idler rebush (invoice £237.93)

• Comprehensive engine rebuild in December 1991 with a new piston ring set, main and big-end bearing sets, new small-end bushes, a reconditioned oil pump, an exchange flywheel and a new clutch assembly, the block honed and line-bored and all 16 valves and seats faced (invoice £2,340.56)

• April 1992 brought a new camshaft, a complete overhaul of the twin SU carburettors, a new radiator and a new fuel pump (invoice £2,125.21)

• Full interior retrim in 1992 with the front seats retrimmed in leather, a new carpet set, a new red hood and a mahogany hood rail (invoice £1,376.73)

• June 1992 fitted four new Avon tyres, splined hubs and new upper swivel joints, with the carburettors set up on a road test (invoice £1,160.18)

• The vendor tells us the car has been serviced every year since 1992 and comes with what appears to be its original 1963 tax and log book

• Original three-spoke steering wheel is included, the vendor having fitted the wood-rimmed Moto-Lita in recent years

• Current MOT valid until 6 August 2025

• Odometer indicates 30,602 miles, though earlier MOT records show higher readings, so the five-figure odometer has been around the clock and the total mileage is greater

• HPI clear

Interior

• Red leather cabin with a wood-rimmed Moto-Lita steering wheel on a Daimler centre boss

• Engine-turned alloy dashboard carrying twin large Smiths dials plus Smiths fuel, water and oil gauges and a Lucas ammeter

• Pleated red leather front seats supple and in good order, the vendor telling us they were retrimmed around five years ago

• Rear occasional bench shows age-related crazing and cracking to the leather with a small split near the centre

• Door cards are red grained vinyl with chrome pull handles and window winders over leather map pockets

• Red suede transmission-tunnel and footwell trim shows fading and wear consistent with age

• Boot is clean and dry, lined in black carpet

Exterior

• Finished in silver-grey, the glassfibre body presenting with a deep, even gloss across the main panels

• Signature fluted Daimler grille, twin faired-in headlamps and chrome bumpers all present and bright

• Chrome wire wheels with three-eared knock-off spinners on all four corners, the spokes bright and largely unpitted

• Michelin XAS and Vredestein radial tyres with good tread, showing some age-related sidewall cracking

• Red mohair soft-top sits taut and evenly seamed with all press-studs present; light creasing and mild fade show at the folded edges

• Localised stone chips and surface scratches on the lower panels, a shallow depression in the nearside door skin, a small chip on the boot lid and some age-related blistering to the fibreglass noted by the vendor

• Rear valance, bumper irons and mounting brackets show surface corrosion

Mechanical

• 2.5-litre hemi-head V8 producing 140bhp and 155lb ft, driving the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox

• 0-60mph takes 8.9sec, with a top speed of 124mph

• Complete and largely original engine bay presenting dry, with twin SU carburettors

• The vendor tells us the car starts instantly and sounds great

• Comprehensive engine rebuild and carburettor overhaul carried out in the early 1990s, documented on file

• Modern Bosch battery and Lucas coil fitted

Summary

This is a genuinely rare chance to buy one of Britain's most charismatic V8 roadsters, presented as a smart, usable silver-grey driver on chrome wire wheels. It has the combination that matters most to SP250 enthusiasts: the four-speed manual gearbox, a flexible and tuneful 2.5-litre V8 and a handsome red leather cabin that's been well looked after. 

To arrange a viewing, click the Book Viewing button located under the Place Bid button. Viewings can be booked up until the day before the auction ends, after which the option will change to Contact Seller for further enquiries. This seller is located in London.