Vehicle Description
1968 DAMILER
SOVEREIGN
Damiler was one of the oldest automobile manufactures in British
history. Yes, British. For those who are confused I will explain.
Damiler (pronounced Dame ler)-Benz is a German auto maker. Damiler
(pronounced Dom ler) is a very very British company formed in 1896.
It secured its success by being granted a Royal Warrant to build
motorcars for the Royal family in 1902.
Early in their history, they were champions of the sleeve valve
engine. Though heavy and consumed almost as much oil as gasoline,
in 1907, it was a very quiet, vibration free, and reliable. In
1927, Damiler made what might be the finest sleeve valve motor ever
with the Double Six V-12.
Let's jump to post World War 2. Damiler is in tough shape. Their
attempt to sharpen their image with the SP-250 sports car was only
a modest success. Jaguar needed more capacity for production. A
deal was made in 1960.
Since the Damiler brand still carried status in the UK, Jaguar
continued to build the Damiler line of upscale autos. Jaguar also
did some badge engineering.
This leads us to the vehicle we have for auction. Our 1968 Damiler
Sovereign is based on the Jaguar 420 Saloon. Both used the 4.2
liter version of the world renowned XK twin cam six and just about
everything else. The main difference was the market they were
after. The Jaguar was for younger more sporting clientele while the
Damiler offered more comfort and that would appeal to the older
buyer.
Daimlers continued to be made until 2007 based on the Ford's
Jaguars. The brand name is now owned Tata.
Though she made need some work, who buys this car will be able to
tell an extraordinary story about the British auto industry.
ESTIMATE: $10,000-$17,500
