Daimler SP 250 2.5 V8 1965

Daimler was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in London by H. J. Lawson in 1896. To secure the name they bought the right to the use of the Daimler name simultaneously from Gottlieb Daimler and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft.

Britain's oldest car manufacturer was purchased by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) in 1910 after numerous ownership arrangements.

Under BSA era they produced some of the most outrageous luxury cars such as low-chassis Daimler double-six 50hp, commercial vehicles, and military vehicles including tanks and a four-wheel-drive armoured scout car, nicknamed Dingo (WWII).

Postwar Daimler's most significant achievement came in the form of so called Turner engines, when Ed Turner, head of the automotive division, designed a series lightweight hemi head Daimler 2.5 & 4.5 Litre V8 Engines.

In May 1960, the Daimler business was purchased from BSA by Jaguar that was looking for the manufacturing facilities. This eventually led to Daimler becoming just a badge engineered jaguar.

The real tragedy is that Jaguar complitely failed to use the potential of Turner's hemi engines, that in all ernest were superior to Jaguar's XK design. Just imagine, if E-type had been introduced with the 4.5 light alloy v8 in 1961, what a rocket ship that would have made!