Built by Daimler from 1959 to 1964, the Daimler SP250 (also known as the ‘Dart’) was the last car built by Daimler before they were sold to Jaguar. It was an unusually advanced car in many ways, featuring a 140bhp 2.5 litre V8 pulling a car that weights less than a tonne, mainly thanks to the fibreglass body.
While the initial reception for the SP250 was at best muted, they have steadily gained popularity, with clean original examples now being quite sought after. Just 2,654 Daimler SP250s were made in the end, so it remains a relatively rare sight down to this day.
6688EL has quite an interesting history. While it comes with a wealth of paperwork, the vast majority covers its life from 1984 to the present day. What we know for certain is that the car was initially supplied new in May 1960 to Spinks of Bournemouth (an official distributor for Daimler cars).
It next appears in North Shields in 1984, were the owner claims the car had been stored off-road for some years. It was recommissioned and stayed on the road in the UK until 1990, when it was purchased by a doctor in Germany, who exported it that year. The current owner tells us that the doctor used it regularly for more than 20 years.
Then, in February of this year, the current owner imported it from Germany, and has run it as a weekend / hobby vehicle since then - only taking it out in good weather and keeping it dry-stored.
This SP250 comes with a significant quantity of paperwork, from the obligatory V5 to reams of maintenance receipts and invoices. Also present are various documents from the export to Germany, the later re-import to the UK, and the re-registration with the DVLA and reassignment of the vehicle’s original registration number.
Included is also an HPI check document and letter that show, while the vehicle does have a flag for finance and being scrapped, this is actually a false flag – common with very early vehicles that have such a short VIN.
The mileage on the odometer reads as 14,284. There is no documentation to confirm whether or not this is original, but what can be said is that the paperwork shows the vehicle has been very well maintained. Multiple invoices for maintenance and recommissioning work, totalling thousands of pounds, are here, mostly from the vehicle’s time in Germany.
Sitting in the cabin of the SP250, you’re instantly transported back to the 60s. The beautifully worn and original black leather front seats and rear bench, large wood-rimmed wheel, chunky metal toggle switches and large speedo and odometer scream classic British roadster.
Everything works as it should, and is in good, original condition. This is no concours special, and is all the better for it, wearing its years like badges of honour; every element of the patina adding to the story of the vehicle.
The previous owner must have been quite short, as they have bolted a small wooden block onto the clutch pedal to make it easier to use. But this is a simple modification to reverse should it be required.
Inside the boot, everything is very solid. Pulling back the carpet reveals the shell to be in good condition. There is also a full size spare wheel and a toolkit present.
One of the great advantages of the SP250 is the fibreglass body shell. This completely eliminates the issue of body rust and rot, one of the banes of cars from this era. The car has one or two blemishes and chips in the shell, as should be expected in an original car of this age, but overall is in very good condition. The Ivory / cream paintwork is very good, with just a few blemishes hinting at the vehicle’s more than 60 years of life.
All of the brightwork is stainless and in excellent condition, complementing the Ivory colouring and black interior / roof superbly. The roof itself operates well and is in very good condition.
Included in the sale is also a hardtop that requires some restoration work to bring it in line with the rest of the cars condition.
Underneath, the car is solid and appears to be in very good condition for a vehicle of this age.
Daimler’s 2.5 litre V8 is a lovely, throaty, torquey engine. In this example it sounds wonderful, burby and smooth, pulling well throughout the rev range. The owner tells us that the car drives well, feeling planted and controlled when driving and responding well to inputs. We followed behind the car for a number of miles and it appeared to drive really well, cornering quite flat, braking well and pulling strongly through the 4-speed manual gearbox.
At the front it features independent coil spring suspension, with a rear live axle on leaf springs. Unusually for a car of this age, it features disc brakes on all four corners. All of the running gear appears to be in good condition.
The included paperwork indicates that a lot of money has been spent keeping the car in good condition over the years, so it’s no surprise that it drives so well.
For some years, the SP250 was considered the black sheep of the Daimler family. Not any more. In recent times the car has been re-evaluated, and is now seen for what it truly is - a wonderfully charismatic, surprisingly swift and fun to drive classic roadster.
In the classic ivory-over-black colour scheme of this car, it’s an elegant and timeless sports car. The roar of the V8 is iconic, the sweeping bodywork a thing of beauty. It’s a car that has aged really well. This one was driven regularly and maintained fastidiously by a German doctor for more than 20 years, and has the paperwork to prove it, making it a rare and very original car.
That originality is this car’s great selling point – you’ll be hard pressed to find a 60 year old car that is in such clean and original condition as this. Most will have been completely restored or lost to rot by this point. This little survivor is a wonder, and deserves to be enjoyed for many more years to come.
If you love the idea of a V8 engined British roadster, something a little bit rare, but relatively easy to get parts for and work on, then this is the car for you. It’s got decades of joyful B-road jaunts left in it. The question is, will that joy be yours?
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1960 Daimler “Dart” SP250
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