The only V8 I've ever owned was a Daimler 2.5 - But I Liked it !
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 10:25 pm
Hi I'm Pete,
The only V8 I've ever owned was a 1964 Daimler 2.5 ..in polished black with aromatic beige leather, richly figured walnut dashboard and chrome wire wheels. It burbled wonderfully, but drank more than m' mother, and handled as awfully as any MkII Jag. Its 140bhp through a slush box struggled.. with the sublimely comfortable n' quiet but monstrously heavy '60's saloon body and its abundance of fluted chrome. I loved every aspect of it ..but not all together in a one package.
Some years later I had an equally as gorgeous but somewhat more sexy in red, with light-tan Connolly leather and Wilton carpeted, '66 S-type Jag. This was probably not a lot lighter in weight despite its noticeably slimmer bumpers, but it did have the benefit of the 3.8ltr straight six coupled to a manual with overdrive box and a long legged diff. In almost every respect it was a far better motor car. That straight six motor in metallic cyan with polish aluminum rocker covers looked incredible too (once the air filter was dumped - so you could see it). The power and the delivery was there, and so was the ride and handling thanks in no small part to its truly superb IRS. Even the brakes were better and the seats more supportive. To my mind that model has a different, rather than lesser look, to the MkII style (more feminine & elegant versus maverick), but then has the benefit of more space and airiness within, and seemingly double as useful a boot.
Anyway, I now seem to have developed an itch for another Daimler V8, which I'd like to experience without it being burdened like a Himalayan mule. And so I have a bit of a sleeper-project in mind. More on that another time ..save to say that if anyone has a V8 2.5ltr Daimler motor complete with ancillaries, perhaps pulled for a project - but then decided to go another route, then I might well be interested. Drop me a line. If it happens to be inexpensive and in the East Midland / East Anglia then so much the better.
So, for now I'd just like to say Hi ..And a BIG thanks to previous contributors whose truly remarkable expertise and hands-on experience seem to abound on this site. I've already spent quite a few hours reading various reports and studying their photos. So Thank You to each - who have not only converted their car to V8 but then also taken the time out to photograph, to write, and to share the experience. Blinking Brilliant.
One final note. If anyone has layout drawings / engineering style elevations of the Daimler 2.5ltr shown with ancillaries - then I'd be most grateful to have a copy. Any format would work from jpg or gif through to ACAD or Rhino. NB. I'd only need one or two dimensions so I might scale it ..to then drop it into a layout. Thanks,
Pete.
The only V8 I've ever owned was a 1964 Daimler 2.5 ..in polished black with aromatic beige leather, richly figured walnut dashboard and chrome wire wheels. It burbled wonderfully, but drank more than m' mother, and handled as awfully as any MkII Jag. Its 140bhp through a slush box struggled.. with the sublimely comfortable n' quiet but monstrously heavy '60's saloon body and its abundance of fluted chrome. I loved every aspect of it ..but not all together in a one package.
Some years later I had an equally as gorgeous but somewhat more sexy in red, with light-tan Connolly leather and Wilton carpeted, '66 S-type Jag. This was probably not a lot lighter in weight despite its noticeably slimmer bumpers, but it did have the benefit of the 3.8ltr straight six coupled to a manual with overdrive box and a long legged diff. In almost every respect it was a far better motor car. That straight six motor in metallic cyan with polish aluminum rocker covers looked incredible too (once the air filter was dumped - so you could see it). The power and the delivery was there, and so was the ride and handling thanks in no small part to its truly superb IRS. Even the brakes were better and the seats more supportive. To my mind that model has a different, rather than lesser look, to the MkII style (more feminine & elegant versus maverick), but then has the benefit of more space and airiness within, and seemingly double as useful a boot.
Anyway, I now seem to have developed an itch for another Daimler V8, which I'd like to experience without it being burdened like a Himalayan mule. And so I have a bit of a sleeper-project in mind. More on that another time ..save to say that if anyone has a V8 2.5ltr Daimler motor complete with ancillaries, perhaps pulled for a project - but then decided to go another route, then I might well be interested. Drop me a line. If it happens to be inexpensive and in the East Midland / East Anglia then so much the better.
So, for now I'd just like to say Hi ..And a BIG thanks to previous contributors whose truly remarkable expertise and hands-on experience seem to abound on this site. I've already spent quite a few hours reading various reports and studying their photos. So Thank You to each - who have not only converted their car to V8 but then also taken the time out to photograph, to write, and to share the experience. Blinking Brilliant.
One final note. If anyone has layout drawings / engineering style elevations of the Daimler 2.5ltr shown with ancillaries - then I'd be most grateful to have a copy. Any format would work from jpg or gif through to ACAD or Rhino. NB. I'd only need one or two dimensions so I might scale it ..to then drop it into a layout. Thanks,
Pete.