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Daimler

To: british-cars@autox.team.net
Subject: Daimler
From: "Mark N. Pacey" <M.N.Pacey@sheffield.ac.uk>
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 12:48:15
Daimler are the grand-daddy of them all.  Set up by Frederick Sims(?) 
in 1896 or there abouts in Coventry, England.  Sims had the British 
rights to the Daimler engine and used the name as well.  They built 
large, luxury cars and pioneered the use of the Knight sleeve valve 
engine, the fluid flywheel and semi-automatic transmissions, although 
these latter two ideas were killed by GM inventing synchromesh.  They 
were bought by BSA in the 1930's and sold, with Lanchester, to Jaguar 
in the 1960's.  Jaguar did this as a cheap way of expanding as it 
brought Daimler's plant, now Jaguar's suspension and transmission 
plant at Radford.  Subsequent Daimlers have been Jaguars with fluted 
radiators and more luxurious trim, although the Daimler V8 engine was 
used for a while.  The exception to that rule was the Daimler 
limousine introduced in 1969 (the first new car introduced by British 
Leyland), although even that had the XK engine.  This monster was 
available either as a limousine or as chassis only until a couple of 
years ago.  They were very popular in the UK as wedding cars, funeral 
cars, hearses and transport for mayors.

Mark


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