Daimler 20 h.p. Saloon Motor Car

Daimler 20 h.p. saloon motor car, registration number XJ 5838. Built in 1933 by Daimler Company Limited in Coventry. It has a Knight double sleeve-valve engine, a Daimler fluid flywheel and a Wilson four speed pre-selective gearbox resulting in a smooth and silent performance.

Daimler was founded in 1896 in Coventry, specialising in luxury cars. In 1910 the company became a subsidiary of BSA and eventually bought by Jaguar Cars in 1960. Daimler Company Ltd was unusual among makers of luxury cars in building their own bodywork. Up until the mid-twentieth century, most luxury cars were supplied as just a chassis and engine with an independent coachbuilding company making and fitting the car’s body. This is a beautiful example of a 1930s saloon car.

This is probably one of the last models of Daimler cars to be powered by the Knight double sleeve-valve engine, which had been used consistently since 1909.