Lot Ended
Description
Just five
owners from new; has been earning a good living as a wedding car during the
current 10-year ownership; very smart interior; only for sale because the owner
is winding down his business; driven 60 miles to the sale
The most
recognisable limousine of all time, the Daimler DS420 first appeared in 1968 and
remained in production substantially unaltered for nearly 25 years. No royal
wedding or state procession would be complete without a long line of these
stately cars quietly wafting along.
Hand-built by Vanden Plas and sat on
a modified Jaguar 420G floorpan, the DS420 featured the Jag's legendary XK
4.2 litre, twin cam six-cylinder engine with automatic transmission, independent
suspension and power steering. Production lasted until 1992 and many of the
4,116 examples made were exported to embassies and royal households abroad.
These days they are much favoured for wedding and funeral work where the sheer
grandeur of the limo and the eight-seater capacity proves
invaluable.
First registered in August 1989, this DS420 has had just five
owners from new, the current owner acquiring the car in 2016 to join his fleet
of funeral and wedding hire cars. Although it comes with no service history, we
are assured that it has been kept well-maintained by the vendor’s own in-house
mechanics as there is no priority higher than reliability for a car in this line
of work – God forbid if you ruin the biggest day in the life of one of your
brides by suffering the indignity of a breakdown…
The MOT history online
shows that it has always been in light regular use, the mileage creeping up
slowly from 83,942 in 2006 to today’s total of 97,309 miles. The last MOT was
issued in February 2022 with no advisories recorded and it has only covered some
350 miles since.
As you can see in the photos, this stately old dowager
looks to be in good shape for a 37-year-old with a very smart interior, and has
always been kept garaged when not in use.
She has been starting easily
and running well as we have moved her around on site, with healthy 40psi oil
pressure and a surprisingly lively turn of speed for such a big car. We did note
a slight whine from under the bonnet under acceleration, but this sounds like
nothing more than a slipping fan belt or somesuch and doesn’t affect the
performance. The car was also driven 60 miles to the auction without
drama.
Only for sale because our vendor is now winding down his wedding
hire company, this stately limo is on offer here at no reserve and is no doubt
capable of continuing to earn a decent living for many more years to
come.
Please note: The private plate shown is being
retained by the vendor and the car has now reverted to its original number
plate, G257 BJO, as recorded on the V5C which comes with the
vehicle.
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 –
james.dennison@brightwells.com