1961 Daimler SP250

Daimler, a firm known for its stately limousines, made an unusual departure when they produced the SP250 sports car. It was aimed at the North American market, introduced in 1959 at the New York Motor Show as the Daimler Dart, was hurriedly re-christened the SP250 following threats of legal action from Chrysler's Dodge division which had already used the moniker.

The SP250 featured a separate ladder-type chassis on which sat glassfibre coachwork manufactured by Daimler themselves. At all four corners were disc brakes which were an unusual feature at the time. Under the bonnet lurked a 2.5-liter V8 engine, the smaller of Daimlers two V8s, and offered 140 horsepower giving the SP250 a top speed of 125 mph. The automatic transmission was soon available as an option.

In 1960, Jaguar acquired Daimler. The SP250 survived the acquisition and benefited from its new owner's attention, resulting in the much-improved 'B' version. Introduced in April of 1961, the SP250 'B' featured a stiffer chassis and thicker glassfibre coachwork. Its replacement, the 'C', was introduced in April of 1963 and differed only in detail.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2016