ONE OF ONLY 56 EVER MADE! THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF A VERY RARE 1957 DAIMLER CONQUEST CENTURY NEW DROPHEAD COUPE!
Until the early 1950’s, British carmaker Daimler Company, Limited was known primarily as the supplier of automobiles to the British royal family. The Coventry, Warwickshire company’s conservative image changed greatly with the introduction of their Conquest model in the 1953 model year.
Powered by a 2,433cc inline six-cylinder engine, the initial Conquest model displaced 75 bhp and was available in a roadster body. In 1954, Daimler engineers added a new aluminum cylinder head with larger valves and two carburetors to the existing powerplant and increased horsepower to 100 bhp. This caused these models to be dubbed the Conquest Century and was available in three body styles—saloon, roadster or drophead coupe. Production continued through the 1955 model year.
In 1956 the company introduced a new drophead coupe body design featuring a third side-facing rear seat located behind the driver and wind-up windows that replaced the previous model’s clip-on side curtains. This design was designated as the New Drophead Coupe and was built in very limited numbers with the final unit coming out of the factory on May 16, 1957. These were essentially hand-built cars with factory records indicating a total of 56 New Drophead Coupes were manufactured over the two-year production run.
This car bears chassis number 90550, engine number 73115 and body number DHC57. Production records indicate this vehicle was completed on February 20, 1957 and was consigned to a French corporation (believed to be Daimler’s Paris distributor) on May 16 of that year. While automotive historians have long tied chassis number 90550 to King Faisal of Iraq who assassinated in a 1958 coup, no documented evidence of this provenance exists to prove or disprove that claim.
It is believed this vehicle came to the United States sometime in the late 1950’s. It was apparently originally manufactured for export as it has a water temperature gauge reading in Fahrenheit despite having a metric speedometer and right-hand drive. The car was acquired in 2005 by Daimler expert Bob Boston of Atlanta and treated to a superb full restoration.
The yellow livery contrasting with the black leather interior and black top can best be described as stunning. Overall the car has aged extremely well in the years since restoration and the brightwork remains in excellent condition. Wide whitewall tires provide a look not commonly found on most British vehicles of this era. The car has the proper Century aluminum head and renowned Daimler fluid flywheel, along with the highly desired Wilson preselector four-speed gearbox. Options include a heater and a dash-mounted clock.
The current owner has been in possession of this vehicle since 2015. This extremely rare Daimler has been housed in a humidity-controlled environment since that time. Very few of these vehicles were built and even fewer made their way to the United States. This car should be a welcome addition to any collector’s portfolio and would make a great cornerstone piece for the person who is just starting to invest in classic vehicles.
Evergreen Digital Showroom offers this exceptional 1957 Daimler Conquest Century New Drophead Coupe for sale at $74,900 USD. Pre-purchase inspections are welcomed and encouraged. We can provide transportation services for the vehicle at buyer’s expense. For additional information contact sales manager Steve Russell at 417-532-8000.
Evergreen Digital Showroom will gladly entertain reasonable offers on all vehicles we represent. If you would like to make an offer on this vehicle please call sales manager Steve Russell at 417-532-8000 to discuss this further. If you have questions about this specific vehicle, feel free to contact us and we will attempt to provide you with that information.
For a complete listing of all the vehicles Evergreen Digital Showroom has for sale please check our website, www.evergreendigitalshowroom.com.
NOTICE
Because of the number of vehicles we represent we cannot drive every vehicle for long distances. These vehicles have been part of static displays for long periods of time, in some cases for decades, and are subject to the flaws and imperfections consistent with that. While we do our best to disclose all issues we known about a vehicle in our advertising, these are old cars and something that has always worked in the past might not function properly today. Please check the requirements of your state regarding the licensing and registration of classic vehicles and make sure the vehicle you are looking at meets those if applicable. Unless otherwise noted, all vehicles represented by Evergreen Digital Showroom possess a clean (non-branded) title which will be provided the new buyer when purchase funds clear our financial institution. Virtually all of our vehicles are sold as mileage exempt due to their age. We do not warranty any vehicle, nor any part of the vehicle including air conditioning systems, brake systems, electrical systems and gauges, fuel systems, accessories or powertrain components.
These are old vehicles and it is very common for them to require certain maintenance and upkeep for them to be operational. In many cases issues with leaks may develop when being driven after a long period of not being used. This is common, as classic cars at some point will leak fluids. For this reason, we do not encourage buyers to attempt driving their purchase home as we cannot guarantee functional reliability of these vehicles. We strongly encourage prospective buyers to be sure they are comfortable with these issues before purchasing a classic car.
Descriptions of vehicles represented by Evergreen Digital Showroom are intended to be informational in nature and do not in any way constitute any sort of warranty, expressed or implied. Again, these vehicles are presented “as-is, where-is” without guarantee or warranty. Vehicles manufactured prior to 1981 will likely not be included in the databases of companies such as CarFax and AutoCheck that provide vehicle history information to consumers. If you have specific questions regarding a vehicle we urge you to contact us at 417-532-8000.
