1960 Daimler SP 250 (Dart) For Sale by Auction (2024)

Vehicle Overview

Built in June 1960 and sold to its first owner in December the same year, this RHD manual example has been in the same careful ownership since 1975.

The car is ‘Old English White’ and features a blue interior and fabric roof.

Today, the car is showing 118,176 miles on the odometer.

In 2007 the figure was 116,237 miles so, as you can no doubt discern, this car has been used somewhat sparingly in the intervening years.

We know from some hand-written notes at the back of the owner’s handbook that the car received a new gearbox at 68,000 miles, had both cylinder heads removed and refaced at 76,000 miles, and had the clutch replaced at 90,000 miles.

We also know that the car was the subject of a body-off restoration in 1991.

Clearly, that was quite some time ago, and the passing of the years has left its mark in a few places on the bodywork.

Exterior

Of course, what you won’t find anywhere on the glass-fibre bodywork is rust.

But you will find several cracks to the paint and/or body, and we’ve seen examples around the offside headlamp, just below the windscreen, by the nearside edge of the bonnet, on the nearside wing, by the door handles, around the boot hinges, at the edge of the o/s/f wing where it meets the door, and atop both ‘B’ pillar sections immediately to the rear of the doors.

The chrome is decent for the most part but there is some foxing, pitting and tarnishing in evidence in a few places.

There are numerous stone chips and scuffs on, and just ahead of, the bonnet.

The wheels look reasonable and the matching Michelin tyres look to have a great deal of life left in them.

The lights, lenses, badging, trim and other exterior fixtures and fittings all appear to be in good order.

The blue fabric roof looks to be in excellent condition, as far as we can tell.

Interior

The interior has withstood the vicissitudes of time and wear with rather more stoicism and pluck than its exterior counterpart.

The blue upholstery has little more than a gentle patina to it, let alone any deep creases or signs of actual wear and tear.

The door cards look fine to us, as does the hood lining.

The carpets and mats are following the same script in terms of quality and condition, as is the padded dashboard surround and the various instruments, dials and controls embedded in it.

We didn’t flick every switch or press every button, but those we chose to flick and press responded faithfully.

The boot is in similarly good nick and contains some tools, a number of spare parts, a bound workshop manual and the owner’s guide.

Mechanical

The engine bay is reassuringly clean, shiny, dry and tidy.

Everything appears to be in its right and proper place.

The undersides of the car look to have a good deal of structural integrity and seem to us to be largely uncompromised by time, weather or use.

History Highlights

At the time of writing, we are awaiting the physical arrival of the car’s history.

We will, of course, update this section – and the accompanying photography section – as and when this information reaches us.

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What We Think

Mechanically and dynamically sorted, this car just needs a few relatively minor cosmetic issues attending to and will then, we feel sure, be ready and willing to offer its next owner many years of uniquely British automotive engineering fun.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £30,000 - £35,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am- 12pm or 2pm-4pm.To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.