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1964 Daimler SP250 IDart'

This car isa rare Australian delivered, factory right hand drive example.

There isa copy ofthe original Registration of Ownership on filethat shows this particular Daimler SP250 was delivered newtoMr Grahame Elith from Mosman, NSW, on 21 st December 1964. Mr Elith purchased the car through Hercules Motors Pty Ltd in Sydney. The chassis and engine numbers are both noted onthe original Registration of Ownership and confirm thatthis car retains its original engine and itistherefore 'matching numbers'. The car was delivered withquiteafew extras, including: an adjustable steering, a complete rear bumper, wire wheels and even a wood rimmed steering wheel. Interestingly, the car was delivered newwitha hard topbutnosofttop.

This SP250 has quitean interesting history. Itisbelieved to be thelastSP250 to be sold newinAustralia and thefourth last SP250 every built. This car arrived into Australia along with another SP250 thatwenttothe Canberra police force. That would have been an interesting patrol car back inthe day!

Very early initslifethe car was involved inan accident which damaged the hard top.In his quest tofind someone locally who could repair the hard top Elith gotintouch with master craftsman Stan Brown of Brookvale in Sydney. After discussing possible solutions withhimit was decided Stan wouldbuilda custom, all aluminium, fastback style hard top. There are photos onfile showing the car withthenew hard top which definitely changed thelookofthe car. While that was being done it was suggested thatfittingfourtwin choke Weber carburetors wouldgivethe car abit more get up and go! The bonnet had to be modified to make itfit! There are period photos ofthe car onfilewiththis set up. Supposedly the 'improvements' were done toallowthis SP250 to be raced as a GT car inthat short-lived class of motorsport inAustralia. However, littleisknown ofits successes or failures or whether it indeed participated inany races.

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The firstowner traded the SP250 forafamily car in 1972 when his wifewaspregnant withtheirfirst child. Whilst the subsequent owners ofthe car are known, itwasn'tuntil 1986 when it was acquired by Terry Listerfrom Noosa, QLD thatit came back intothe public domain. The car was in poorcondition, though itstill retained itsfastback style hard topbuiltby Stan Brown all those years ago. Lister tookit upon himself to restore the car and hesoon embarked ona totalnut and bolt restoration.

His first challenge was tofindanewbootlid and some of theother body parts which had been removed when the fastback style hard top was installed. Eventually a wrecked SP250 was found inthe UK which still had allthe parts needed in good condition. All his efforts were rewarded when thecompletely restored Daimler, now red withalight tan interior, won 'Best of Show' at theinaugural Noosa Classic Car Show in 1989.

The car isfeatured inthe March/May 1989 issue of Sports & Classic Cars Australia magazine, a copy of which will accompany the car.

The current owner purchased the Daimler in 2018 from a deceased estate. The car had not been used forafew years and needed recommissioning. The ownerdid most ofthe work himself. He also had theinteriorretrimmed byCoastal Auto Upholstery in Beerwah, QLD.

Today this Daimler SP250 retains its red paintwork as restored by Terry Lister in excess of30 years ago. The car presents and drives exceptionally well.

The interior isin great condition. The 'asnew' leather feels supple and soft, the carpets and doorcards are also in good condition. The timber steering wheel and gear knob were hand made by Terry Lister from Tasmanian Oak and are a feature.

Turn theignition on, waitafew seconds forthefuel pump todoits work, pulloutthe choke, turnthe key and the V8 roars tolife. You have gotto love these British sports car with V8 engines ... Afterwarming upforafew minutes this car very quickly settles intoa smooth idle. It'stimeto take it outontheroad! Now, thefirst key pointto remember isthat these cars donot have synchro onfirstgear. The big V8 has plenty of torque so you onlyneed first when taking offfrom standstill, though if you do need to change downitisa skill easily mastered. This Daimler SP250 has more than enough powerontap and the engine revs strongly through the rev range. You almost expect itto be somewhat 'rattley',but it'snot! The four-speed gearbox feels smooth and the car is relatively easy to drive. These Daimlers have nopower steering and with plenty ofweightupfrontthey are quite heavy at parking speed, though outonthe open road the car isa real delight.