Daimler Majestic Major

Daimler
Daimler Majestic Major
Majestic Major
Production period:	1960-1968
Class :	Upper class
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Otto engine : 4.6 liters (220 hp)
Length:	5100 mm
Width:	1873 mm
Height:	1594 mm
Wheelbase :	2900 mm
Empty weight :	1854 kg
Previous model	Daimler One-0-Four

The Majestic Major (internal designation: DQ450 ) is a vehicle model of the Daimler Motor Company that was built from 1960 to 1968. It is closely related to the Daimler Majestic from 1958, from which it differs through a larger and more powerful engine and bodywork retouches. The Majestic Major is considered to be "the last true Daimler" that has no relationship with contemporary Jaguar models. The Daimler DR450 representative limousine is derived from.

History of origin

The Daimler Motor Company, founded in 1896, was one of the most exclusive British automobile manufacturers in the first half of the 20th century. The company, which has been part of the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) since 1910 , regularly supplied vehicles for the British royal family. The position of the company changed after the end of the Second World War . The brand lost its reputation in particular due to the extroverted behavior of Lady Norah Docker , the wife of BSA director Bernard Docker , and market shares continued to decline over the course of the 1950s compared to Bentley and Rolls-Royce . Daimler initially tried to serve lower-priced market segments with the Consort and Conquest models , but was unsuccessful. The Majestic sedan presented in 1958 was intended to strengthen Daimler's position in the luxury class, but could not save the brand, which had run into economic difficulties. In 1960 BSA sold the Daimler Motor Company to Jaguar . The Majestic Major, a further developed version of the Majestic, was the first Daimler that appeared while belonging to Jaguar, and at the same time the last one that did not use Jaguar technology. Brand enthusiasts therefore consider him “the last true Daimler”.

The Majestic and the Majestic Major were produced side by side from 1960 to 1962; after that there was only the Majestic Major. He took on the role of the top model in the Jaguar-Daimler Association. The Majestic Major was positioned above the Daimler 250 V8 , which in turn was a more expensive variant of the Jaguar Mark II .

Model description

Extended trunk: Majestic Major

The Majestic Major is a five-seater luxury sedan that is closely related to the two years older Daimler Majestic.

Chassis and running gear

On the Majestic and the Majestic Major, the box frame and the landing gear match. Here as there, the front wheels are individually suspended , and a rigid axle with leaf springs is installed at the rear . There are servo-assisted disc brakes from Dunlop on all four wheels .

body

The body of the Majestic Major supplied by Carbodies in Coventry largely corresponds to that of the Majestic. External distinguishing features are a longer rear overhang, which results from an elongated trunk, and additional round, V-clad air inlets in the front mask. The same dashboard is used in the interior as in the Majestic, but the chrome surrounds of the dashboards are missing in the Majestic Major.

Engine and power transmission

The motorization of the Majestic Major, however, is independent. While the Major from 1958 is still powered by an in-line six-cylinder engine with a displacement of 3.8 liters, the Majestic Major has an eight-cylinder V-engine with a displacement of 4.6 liters (4561 cm³) designed by Edward Turner . In its basic design, it is similar to the eight-cylinder that was introduced in 1959 in the Daimler SP250 sports car . Daimler stated the engine output of the 4.6 liter version with 220 bhp (164 kW, 223 PS). However, many sources assume that the real power of the engine is significantly higher than this figure. Even based on the factory specifications, the 4.6-liter eight-cylinder was the most powerful engine that Daimler had ever offered in a car. The power transmission takes place as standard via a three-speed automatic transmission from BorgWarner .

Performance

Thanks to the powerful engine and the excellent road holding, the Majestic Major was also interesting for ambitious drivers despite its very high weight. In a test in 1961, the car ran 196.8 km / h and accelerated from 0 to 60 mph (97 km / h) in 9.7 seconds. The British press pointed out in the early 1960s that the Majestic Major was faster than the Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz sedans of the same size .

production

The Majestic Major was presented to the public at the Earls Court Motor Show in London in October 1960 . Production began in November 1960. The car cost £ 2,500 when it launched. By the end of production in 1968, a total of 1180 vehicles were built.

Daimler DR450

Daimler DR 450 sedan

→ Main article : Daimler DR450

In 1961, Daimler - already under Jaguar management - introduced the DR 450, a 600 mm longer version of the Majestic Major, which was to serve as a chauffeur and representative limousine and replaced the previous DK 400 . The design came from Motor Panels , a specialty company that primarily manufactured truck cabs. The DR 450 competed with the Rolls-Royce Phantom V and the optically and technically outdated Vanden Plas Princess 4 liter sedan . Compared to them, the DR 450 was by far the most powerful and fastest car. It was on sale for £ 3,300 when it was presented, which was one-third the price of a Phantom V. By 1968, 864 copies of the DR 450 had been built. Most of them were sold to car rental companies and funeral directors. The successor was the Daimler DS420 based on Jaguar technology .

The chassis of the DR 450 was often used as the basis for special bodies. Body manufacturers such as Startin in Birmingham or Woodall Nicholson in Halifax built several dozen hearseers on the DR-450 chassis.

literature

• David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975 , Poundbury, Veloce Publishing, 2013, ISBN 978-1-845845-83-4
• Halwart Schrader: Jaguar type compass - passenger cars since 1931 , Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-613-02106-4
• Heiner Stertkamp: Jaguar - The complete chronicle from 1922 to today , 2nd edition, Heel-Verlag, 2006, ISBN 3-89880-337-6
• Brian Long: Daimler & Lanchester. A Century of Motor History , Longford International Publications, 1995, ISBN 1899154019
• Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, David Burgess-Wise: Daimler Century . Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1995, ISBN 1-85260-494-8
• NN: The Daimler V8s . In: The Driving Member. The Official Journal of the Daimler & Lanchester Owners Club. July 1999, p. 7 ff.
• Richard Townsend: Docker's Daimlers. Daimler and Lanchester Cars 1945 to 1960 , Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2017, ISBN 978 1 4456 6316 6

Web links

Commons : Daimler Majestic Major  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Sales brochure Daimler Majestic Major (1959–1964)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Classic Cars Special: English classic cars. Issue 7/8/9 1994, p. 36.
2. ↑ Tim Hogarth: The Dazzling Lady Docker: Britain's Forgotten Reality Superstar , Scratching Shed Publishing Ltd., 2018, ISBN 978-0995586147 , p. 178.
3. ↑ NN: The Daimler V8s . In: The Driving Member. The Official Journal of the Daimler & Lanchester Owners Club. July 1999, p. 10.
4. ^ ^{A b} Richard Townsend: Docker's Daimlers. Daimler and Lanchester Cars 1945 to 1960 , Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2017, ISBN 978 1 4456 6316 6 , p. 68.
5. ^ Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, David Burgess-Wise: Daimler Century . Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1995, ISBN 1-85260-494-8 , p. 280.
6. ^ Richard Townsend: Docker's Daimlers. Daimler and Lanchester Cars 1945 to 1960, Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2017, ISBN 978 1 4456 6316 6 , p. 69.
7. ↑ Nick Walker: A – Z of British Coachbuilders 1919–1960 . Shebbear 2007 (Herridge & Sons Ltd.) ISBN 978-0-9549981-6-5 , p. 173.