Daimler Century – well bought at auction
Every Wednesday, we’re highlighting an auction bargain that we reckon was well bought. Thanks to our friends at Classic Car Weekly, and its roving auction reporter, Richy Barnett, we’ll bring you some amazing cars at much lower-than-expected prices. This week, it’s a prime slice of Daimler – in this case, a magnificent V8-powered version of Jaguar’s well-regarded X308 model.
Car 1997 Daimler Six Century
Sold for £10,640
Original estimate £11,000-£14,000
Most buyers have forgotten what great these cars are – and that held back values. The Daimler Six was nigh-on identical to its cheaper Jaguar siblings: externally only the model-specific badges and wheels gave the game away, along with the ‘crinkly’ grille and bootlid trim.
UK buyers didn’t really ‘get’ the Daimler name by the late 1990s unless it was in connection with Mercedes-Benz. And while the Daimler name wasn’t killed off under Ford’s parentage, it didn’t exactly thrive, either. This was a rare variant, too. If the Six wasn’t already rare enough, this was the limited ‘Century’ model, which was built to celebrate 100 years of Daimler manufacturing in the UK.
Just 200 were made, split 50:50 between 4.0-litre ‘sixes’ and 6.0-litre V12s. All featured ‘D’ logos on the headrests, rear passenger vanity mirrors set in the roof and host of smaller unique details. The condition of this one made it worth the outlay. This was a one-owner model in Anthracite Black over white interior, showing just over 25,000 miles. The bodywork was very good, with no signs at all of corrosion in the usual places (rear wheel arches and bottoms of the front wings).
Further reading
Daimler Century price guide
Concours £14,000+
Good £4000-£10,000
Usable £3000-£4000
Project £1000-£3000
THIS CAR £10,640
Well bought Daimler Six Century: The verdict
The paint was generally pretty good, although some lacquer on the roof had gone. Panel fit was good and it had the supplying dealer rear window sticker/ number plates and key fobs. The interior was very good, showing little sign of wear and the seat facings were very clean.
The original carphone was fitted and the unique-to-Century floormats were in place. Woodwork and trim were good, too. It should hold on to its value. Not many people would have been looking for it, but the buyer got a first-rate purchase. Very rare, low mileage, in pretty good condition and one owner – in other words, everything in its favour, and as long as it’s looked after, it’s unlikely the new custodian will lose out here.
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