1978 Daimler Sovereign Coupe

Description

Only 15,600 miles and three owners from new; supplied new by Coombs of Guildford; recently recommissioned following 20 years in storage; superb interior; highly original; paintwork requires cosmetic TLC; a fantastic find with great potential

The Series Two version of Jaguar's brilliant XJ6 saloon was launched at the 1973 Frankfurt Motor Show alongside a new variant on the XJ theme, a two-door coupe.

A pet project of Sir William Lyons (and the last one he worked on before he retired from active design in 1972), the XJC used the short-wheelbase floorpan with longer front doors and a slightly different roofline but was otherwise substantially the same as the four-door saloon.

Lyons had insisted that the front and rear windows met in a pillarless construction, which was very elegant and looked fabulous when all the windows were down, but posed a serious headache to the development engineers who had to suppress the wind noise on these fast cars. This delayed production until 1975 and the coupes were considerably more expensive and exclusive than the saloons.

All featured a vinyl roof which was fashionable at the time and helped to disguise the thickness of the C pillars. Just 6,505 coupes were made before production ceased in 1977, which included 1,677 six-cylinder Sovereigns badged as Daimlers. Good examples are increasingly sought after today.

Sold new by Coombs of Guildford to a Mr AE Parker of Chichester in January 1978, this Daimler Sovereign Coupe has had just two further keepers and has covered only 15,643 miles from new. The second owners, H Padfield & Sons of Ongar, acquired the car in April 1982 when it had covered around 6,000 miles, as shown by old MOTs on file.

They kept the car for the next 38 years but the MOTs imply that it was taken off the road in 1998 when it had covered around 15,500 miles. Our vendor acquired the Daimler in 2020 and set about recommissioning the car following its 20+ years in storage.  

Both petrol tanks were replaced along with two new fuel pumps, fuel gauge sender units and flexible hoses compatible with ethanol petrol. The carburettors and the Automatic Enrichment Device were refurbished with all new components from Burlen Fuel Systems. The vendor advises that the carbs need a final tune-up as the mixture is running a little rich.

A full service was also carried out including fresh 10W-40 engine oil, new oil and air filters and a new set of spark plugs. The rear differential oil was replaced and the cooling system flushed and refilled with fresh anti-freeze and a new radiator cap. The power steering fluid was also renewed.

The paint is original and typical late ‘70s quality but has stood up well in most places, with some light surface corrosion beginning to emerge here and there. The vendor has touched up the worst areas to keep the corrosion at bay but the bodywork appears generally very solid and should need little more than cosmetic tidying. The bumpers have been rechromed by Chromefix of Birmingham and look excellent.

The interior is in wonderfully original condition with excellent leather, wood and carpets, although the vendor has replaced the headlining due to sagging. We are told that all the gauges function as they should with upgraded LED bulbs for the centre console instruments.

The vendor has replaced the original steel wheels with Kent alloys shod with Pirelli P5 tyres and there are a new set of Daimler centre caps which have yet to be fitted (see last photo). The original wheels and chrome hub caps are still available if desired, shod with Michelin XWX tyres which apparently look virtually new but will be well past their sell by date! The vendor has a few other spares (service items, gearbox fluid, electronic ignition kit etc) which will also be made available to the winning bidder if desired, all of which need to be collected from the Malvern area.

Starting promptly and running well as we have moved it around on site, with good 40psi oil pressure, this low mileage time capsule has the potential to make a very fine car indeed. What a find!

For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com