Vehicle Description
Daimler's flagship DE series debuted in 1946 as their largest and
most expensive car on offer. The chassis was a fairly conventional
design with x-bracing and independent front suspension; Hotchkiss
drive rear axle, and Girling hydro-mechanical brakes. Two versions
were available, the 138-inch wheelbase DE27 which was powered by
the Daimler Twenty Seven inline-six cylinder engine (named such for
its taxable horsepower rating), or the range-topping DE36 which
featured a grand 147-inch wheelbase and was powered by a 5.4 liter
inline-eight cylinder� engine. The Thirty Six was essentially
Britain's last straight eight (Rolls Royce did use one in the
"heads of state only" Phantom IV, but only eighteen were ever
produced). It is a marvelously smooth, overhead valve unit with
nine main bearings and a 150 horsepower output. Every bit of that
power was needed to pull along the large and opulent bodies that
were fitted to the DE36 chassis. Just 205 examples of the Thirty
Six were built between 1946 and 1953, with a great many finding
favor with the Royal Families of Afghanistan, the Netherlands,
Saudi Arabia, Thailand as well as at home in England. At the time
the DE36 was built, Daimler counted Hooper & Co. Coachbuilders
among its subsidiaries. Hooper had a long tradition of supplying
coaches and motor bodies for the British Royal Family and was
considered to be a purveyor of the finest quality bodies available.
Hooper would stop at nothing to meet their clients' wishes. Their
long association with Daimler produced some fabulous and memorable
motorcars. Hooper's signature post-war style was fabulously
elegant; with long, graceful sweeping lines and exquisite
detailing. To promote Daimler and Hooper, BSA Chairman Sir Bernard
Docker and his wife Lady Docker (who incidentally was made director
of Hooper) commissioned a series of show cars for the annual Earl's
Court Motor Show. A run of six different style "Docker Daimlers"
were produced; three on the DE36 chassis, consisting of The Green
Goddess of 1947, The Golden Daimler of 1951 and the Blue Clover
coupe in 1952. The 1953 Silver Flash was built on a 2 � liter
Conquest Century chassis, and the final two, Stardust and Golden
Zebra, sat atop DK400 chassis. Of all the Docker Daimlers, it is
the stunning Green Goddess that attracted the most attention,
enough so that it spawned a very short production run - with
approximately 7 made. Of those seven originals, four are known to
survive, each slightly different from the next, with our featured
example built in 1948. This fine example was restored some years
ago in Europe, and remains in good order throughout. It is painted
in a very attractive burgundy and red combination much like its
sister car, and the body is pleasingly well detailed and
respectably presented. The original show car earned its name thanks
to the metallic jade green paintwork applied to the magnificently
sweeping and curvaceous drophead body. Today, all cars are known by
this nickname regardless of color. Beyond the fabulous
Hooper-designed bodywork, it is the sheer scale of the Green
Goddess that really captured the attention of show goers. The
wheelbase is a massive 147 inches long, and the body is a full 20
feet in length and 78 inches wide at the front. As a point of
reference, the original Land Rover rode on an 80 inch wheelbase.
The body was loaded with interesting details and features such as a
hydro-electrically operated soft top which disappeared beneath a
body-color metal cover. Side windows were electrically operated and
headlights were faired-in to the front wings behind Perspex covers
with fluted chrome trims that mimicked that of the signature
Daimler radiator shell. Rear wheel spats are affixed to sprung
hinges and built-in jacks at each corner make for civilized
servicing should one encounter a puncture. In spite of the aluminum
construction of the body, all of those details add up and the Green
Goddess weighs in at over 6,000 pounds. The tan leather interior is
equally as magnificent, flamboyant and beautifully styled as the
exterior. As the DE36 Green Goddess is wider at the front than the
rear, seating is a unique 3+2 arrangement, with large leather
chairs up front for three, and two individual seats in the rear.
The rear seats are cleverly positioned so passengers have a clear
view of the road ahead, and if that isn't enough, they can be
raised, theater-style, to allow rear passengers to see over those
in front. The driver is treated to a fabulous view down the
impossibly long bonnet and faces a gracefully curved wood dash,
peppered with bespoke instruments and ivory-colored switchgear.
Speed can be registered in either KM or Miles, a feature that
hinted at the cross-continental ability of the big Daimler. A
column mounted gear selector controls a Daimler pre-select
Fluid-Flywheel transmission for seamless, smooth shifting.
Ineffable elegance and breathtaking presence define the Daimler
DE36 Green Goddess. Sir Bernard Docker was certainly no wallflower;
he very much enjoyed using his very special motorcar, and it must
have made quite an impact on the narrow British B-roads! With just
four known survivors, the Hooper Green Goddess is undeniably an
extremely collectible and very important automobile. For many, it
marks the high point for both Daimler and the Hooper & Co.
Coachbuilders, an impossibly grand statement in the waning days of
the custom coachbuilding era.
