English Cars in the United State Countryside

[AVGWarhawk]

This weekend I attended a car show that hosted classics and customs alike. There were a few of British decent I thought those over the pond might like to see what is plying the highways and byways of the USA.

Spitfire. Not quite the Spit of WW2 but a guy can dream right?





Austin Healey. Helping guys pick up chicks since leaving the factory.




This one really interested me and I have never seen one. Daimler made in England. She has a V8 hemi that was available from Chrysler at the time (1950's). I'm not certain if this hemi design is Chrysler or German. Whatever the case I'm betting she moves darn well for a light car with a shoehorned in V8. Yeah, I can see myself hugging a few corners in the English countryside.

[Harald_Lange]

Thanks for posting these they're great. I'm from the UK and its good to see that there are classics like these across the Atlantic. I'll bet there's so much room they look kind of funny on your roads

[AVGWarhawk]

These cars do not look odd on our roads. There similar sized vehicles manufactured here as well as other countries. I would love a XK150 Jaguar from 1950. Great lines and a cool ride.

I'm not certain if this hemi design is Chrysler or German.

If its a Daimler hemi then isn't it British by daimler and was designed by the same man who gave the world the Triumph Bonneville?

[AVGWarhawk]

Wiki..

The Daimler Motor Company Limited was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in London by H J Lawson in 1896, which set up its manufacturing base in Coventry. The right to the use of the name Daimler had been purchased simultaneously from Gottlieb Daimler and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft of Cannstatt, Germany. As of 2011, the brand appears to be dormant.

Sangster promptly made Edward Turner head of the automotive division which as well as Daimler and Carbodies (London Taxicab manufacturers) included Ariel, Triumph, and BSA motorcycles. Turner designed the Daimler SP250 and Majestic Major, and their lightweight hemi head Daimler 2.5 & 4.5 Litre V8 Engines. Under Sangster Daimler's vehicles became a little less sober and more performance oriented. Their Majestic Major proved an agile high-speed cruiser on the new motorways.


Daimler DR450 limousine 1967 example
1959–1964 Daimler SP250 V8 (Dart, A-spec.)
1959–1964 Daimler SP250 V8 (B and C spec.) (prod: 2645, A B & C)[21]
1959–1968 Daimler Majestic Major V8 (prod: 1180)[21]
1961–1967 Daimler DR450 Hemi V8 Limousine, (prod: 864)[21] a nimble high-speed top-executive transport and the last true Daimler

One phrase strikes....the last true Daimler.
Britain used to make great cars and bikes, then a mediocre firm bought out more and more of the good firms and turned the whole lot crap by spending all its money on corporate buyouts instead of actually running a business.
Then came the stage of "too big to fail" which meant a govt. bailout which as ever is a recipe for trash.

But back onto brit cars in the US. A friend of mine shipped over an early really short SWB landy mkI when he moved to FL. The locals love it as its a real eye catcher

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

If its a Daimler hemi then isn't it British by daimler and was designed by the same man who gave the world the Triumph Bonneville?

Ed Turner designed the Daimler engine. He was already famous for designing Triumph motorcycle engines.
The little hemi features an iron block topped with aluminum heads. Stock compression ratio was 8.2:1.

http://www.britishracecar.com/Joseph...mler-SP250.htm