Registration - ESK 579

Chassis No. - 100636

M.O.T. - Exempt

Odometer - 28,323

A good SP250 is guaranteed to turn heads and this lovely example has charisma in spades. Finished in a pleasing shade of grey that’s perfectly offset by white-piped black interior trim and a set of silver painted wire wheels, ‘ESK 579’ has had just three keepers from new, the most recent of whom has retained the Daimler for the last six years. The car came off line in 1960 and acquired its current cherished number when re-registered in 1979. It was treated to a respray in 2013 and a rebuild of its V8 engine as recently as 3,000 miles ago. The vendor now classes the powerplant and the four-speed manual transmission it drives through as ‘excellent’, and the bodywork, paintwork and upholstery as ‘good’. This desirable British classic is now being offered complete with a new hood, a comprehensive history file, and a current MOT valid to March 22.

Daimler launched its boldly designed new sports car at the 1959 New York Auto Show. It was clothed in a tough fibreglass body and built around a traditional cruciform-braced ladder-frame chassis based on that of the Triumph TR3. By 1960, Daimler was in Jaguar’s hands and the so-called B specification SP250s featured a much stiffer frame, equipped with additional outriggers and a strengthening hoop between the B posts. The C specification model of 1963 brought additional creature comforts. The jewel in the car’s crown was its engine, a silky smooth 2.5-litre V-8 unit designed by Edward Turner. With 140bhp on tap and a low all-up weight, the Daimler’s performance was strong and the sound was one to savour. A total of just 2,654 examples were built between 1959 and 1964.

In summary:

• A beautiful example of a rare British classic
• Resprayed in 2013 and treated to an engine rebuild just 3,000 miles ago
• Just three owners from new