Daimler Conquest

Daimler
Daimler Conquest
Conquest Conquest Century Century
Production period:	1953-1958
Class :	upper middle class
Body versions :	Sedan , convertible , roadster
Engines:	Gasoline engine : 2.4 liters (76 hp)
Length:	4469 mm
Width:	1664 mm
Height:	1651 mm
Wheelbase :	2642 mm
Empty weight :	1397 kg
Previous model	Daimler Consort Lanchester 14

The Daimler Conquest is a vehicle from the British car manufacturer Daimler Motor Company , which was built in different versions from 1953 to 1958. The Conquest, positioned in the upper middle class , was Daimler's entry-level model. The vast majority of the Conquest were four-door sedans derived from the Lanchester Leda ; At times there were also convertibles and roadsters in small numbers. A further developed variant was the Conquest Century, which was also marketed at times as the Daimler Century . The sedans of the Conquest range were by far the most successful Daimler models in the 1950s.

Development history

Initial model: Lanchester 14 / Leda (1950–1953)

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 , when the competitor Vanden Plas gradually took over the market leadership in the field of large sedans. Daimler then tried to serve lower-priced market segments with the smaller models in parallel with the representative vehicles that were still being produced. Daimler's entry-level model in the immediate post-war period was the DB18 or the further developed Consort version , which had small six-cylinder engines and had been in production since 1945. Daimler's sister brand Lanchester had been offering the Sedan 14 in the same segment - albeit equipped with a four-cylinder engine - since 1950 and a version derived from it with an all-steel body that was sold as Leda. Lanchester 14 and Leda were technically and stylistically not related to the Conquest.

At the end of 1952, Daimler initially stopped production of the now outdated Consort, and at the beginning of 1953 also that of Lanchester Leda. The four-door Leda was then further developed within four months into the Daimler Conquest, which went on sale in May 1953 and replaced both the previous Consort and the Leda. The Daimler Conquest was basically a Lanchester Leda with a Daimler radiator grille and a newly designed six-cylinder engine. As an entry-level model, the Conquest was positioned below the Regency series and the Regina and DK400 representative limousine . Daimler gradually brought more body versions onto the market, all of which were offered by the factory. Unlike the larger Daimler models, there were very few individual bodies for the Conquest.

Production of the Conquest ended in 1958. Efforts to develop a successor coincided with the time when the sports car manufacturer Jaguar was preparing to take over Daimler. They turned out to be difficult and ultimately came to no immediate result. However, the Daimler 250 V8 based on Jaguar technology can be seen as an indirect successor to the Conquest.

Model name

The model name Conquest (German: Eroberung) refers to the conquest of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror . The connection was made through the purchase price, which was £ 1,066 before tax at launch.

An upgraded version was sold as the Conquest Century; the suffix Century (in the sense of centuries or hundred ) referred to the engine output of 100 bhp. In late advertising brochures, the term Conquest was finally dropped, so that this version was only referred to as Daimler Century.

technology

Chassis and running gear

The frame and chassis of the Daimler Conquest correspond almost completely to the construction used on the Lanchester Leda. The basis is a ladder frame with cross-shaped bracing. A double wishbone axle with torsion bar springs is installed at the front, a rigid axle with leaf springs at the rear . Girling telescopic shock absorbers are used at the front and rear . There are drum brakes on all four wheels .

Engine and power transmission

For the Conquest, Daimler developed a new six-cylinder in-line engine made of gray cast iron . It is an enlarged version of the 2.0 liter inline four-cylinder used in the Lanchester Leda. In the Daimler Conquest the engine has a displacement of 2433 cm³ (bore × stroke: 76.2 × 88.9 mm). In the original version, the engine is equipped with a Zenith carburetor and the compression ratio is 6.1: 1. The maximum output of this variant is 75 bhp (56 kW; 76 PS).

From 1954 a more powerful version was available, which has a cylinder head made of cast aluminum, a compression ratio increased to 7.1: 1 and two SU carburettors . In this form, the engine achieves an output of 100 bhp (75 kW; 101 PS).

Power transmission is carried out as standard by a pre-selection gear (" Fluid Flywheel ") with four forward gears. The more powerful engine was available as an alternative from 1956 and from September 1957 exclusively with an automatic transmission from BorgWarner.

Versions

Daimler Conquest Saloon

Daimler Conquest (DJ250)

The first variant of the Conquest is the four-door saloon , which bears the in-house designation DJ250 (right-hand drive) or DJ251 (left-hand drive). A total of 4568 vehicles were produced by him from 1953 to 1956. Its body made of pressed sheet steel, like that of the Leda, was manufactured by the bodybuilder Fisher & Ludlow in Birmingham , which at that time already belonged to the British Motor Corporation (BMC).

Stylistically and technically, the body almost completely corresponds to that of the four-door Leda. An external unique feature of this Conquest variant are embedded in the front mask fog lights of Lucas , who could only be activated while driving because they developed intense heat in the state without cooling by the air stream to bubble diffusers introduced. The interior is better equipped than that of the Leda: the seats are covered with real leather, the dashboard is made of walnut wood.

In the Conquest Saloon , the 2.4-liter engine in its 75 bhp basic version is used. With it, the car can reach a top speed of 70 mph (112 km / h).

Daimler Conquest Century / Daimler Century

Revised front section: Daimler Conquest Century

In 1954 the four-door Conquest Century sedan appeared. It was offered alongside the regular Conquest Saloon until 1956, after which it was the only sedan in the Conquest range.

It differs from the regular Conquest in the more powerful double carburettor version of the six-cylinder engine with 100 bhp (75 kW; 101 PS), which enables a top speed of 90 mph (145 km / h). Initially, Daimler's “ Fluid Flywheel ” preselector was still installed (DJ256 for right-hand drive and DJ257 for left-hand drive); from 1956, the BorgWarner automatic system was optionally used (DJ260 and DJ261). Outwardly, the Conquest Century corresponds almost completely to the regular Conquest Saloon; the body continued to be built by Fisher & Ludlow. A key distinguishing feature, however, is the front mask, in which there are no longer any fog lights. The recesses provided for this are grilled and serve as cooling air inlets. The fog lights are now mounted free-standing on the bumper. The frames of the windows and the instruments in the dashboard are also designed differently.

The Conquest Century was the most successful single model in the Conquest series. By the end of 1958, Daimler produced a total of 4,818 vehicles from him. Few of them had the automatic transmission.

Daimler Conquest Drophead Coupe

Daimler Conquest Drophead Coupe

In 1954, Daimler introduced a two-door convertible version of the Conquest. Carbodies had designed the car in Coventry , back in 1951 for the Lanchester 14 / Leda. A series production had not come about at the time. The Conquest Drophead Coupé is equipped as standard with the 100 bhp double carburetor version of the 2.4-liter six-cylinder.

The sheet metal parts of the body largely correspond to those of the saloon. The roof construction was a Carbodies patent. It is made up of several parts. There is a fabric cover over the front seats that can be rolled up and isolated. The rear part of the convertible top can be folded up and down electro-pneumatically. It can stand alone without any connection to the windshield. This means that three roof variants are possible: fully closed, fully open, half-open and as a Coupe de Ville with an upright rear hood section and a rolled-back cover over the seats. Carbodies also used a comparable construction in other convertibles built for Austin , Ford or Rootes .

The Conquest Drophead Coupé sold poorly. Only 234 cars were built by 1956. Then the New Drophead Coupé , which is a further development of the Conquest Roadster, was replaced.

Daimler Conquest Roadster and New Dophead Coupé

Conquest Roadster

Three-seater: Conquest New Drophead Coupé

The third member of the Conquest family is an open sports car that was unveiled to the public at the 1953 Earls Court Motor Show. In the history of Daimler, it was the first open two-seater with sporting ambitions. The trigger for its development was the effort to include an attractive car in the model range that could be exported to the USA on a larger scale . Potential competitors were the Jaguar XK 120 , MG T-Type and Triumph TR2 sports cars , which were already successful in the North American market.

The sports car uses the technology of the Conquest Century, but has its own body. An idiosyncratic design feature are the attached tail fins , which accommodate three round taillights and can also be found in a similar shape on contemporary Daimler sedans. The body was constructed "quickly and carelessly" by Carbodies; this is also where the production bodies were made. The 100 bhp double carburetor engine is used as standard.

Conquest Roadster

In the first version, sold from 1953 to 1955, the sports car was called the Conquest Roadster. In this form was a pure two-seater with a Spartan equipment atypical for Daimler. Judging by that, it was very expensive. Selling price at launch was £ 1,700. That corresponded to the price level of a Jaguar XK 140 , which the Daimler was "in no way equivalent". The high price was due to a large extent to the high costs of the body manufacture, which was expensive because the craftsmen had to compensate for some construction defects. In this version, including two prototypes, a total of 52 vehicles were built; most of them were built during 1954.

New Drophead Coupe

After the roadster ceased production in early 1955, Daimler revised the design. The further developed car made its debut in 1956 and replaced the Drophead Coupé, the production of which had come to an end shortly before. It was given the confusing name New Drophead Coupé, although it had no external similarities with the previous Drophead Coupé. Rather, the New Drophead Coupé took over the body, chassis and drive technology from the roadster. A new third seat was positioned transversely to the direction of travel behind the front seats. The equipment has also been improved. Unlike the Roadster, the New Drophead Coupé has crank windows, lockable doors and heating. The price of the car rose to £ 2,000. 67 vehicles of this version had been built by the end of 1957. The sale lasted until 1958. Then the SP250 took its place.

Fixed head coupe

In 1956, Carbodies developed a closed version of the Drophead Coupé with a hardtop attached. In numerous advertisements, Daimler announced the start of series production, but ultimately decided against it. Depending on the source, only one or three prototypes were built.

Special versions

Hooper Empress and Lanchester Dauphin

For the higher priced model series Regency and DK400 Daimler offered in addition to the standard bodies and each one special, Empress called superstructures of Hooper on which the style of the so-called Empress Line were designed. For the little Conquest, this was not a regular option because the comparatively short wheelbase did not harmonize with the Empress Line. Only on a trial basis in 1954, “a handful” - probably four - Conquest chassis were equipped with Empress-style bodies, all of which had two doors. Two of these vehicles received a Lanchester radiator grille and were issued under the name Lanchester Dauphin . Daimler included the Dauphin in the factory brochures. However, a production did not materialize; more than the two prototypes were not built. The reason given for the lack of market acceptance is the high price of the Dauphin, which at £ 3,000 was more than double that of the standard Conquest.

Combinations

In addition, 10 station wagons were built on the basis of the Conquest Saloon. Six of them were used as camera vehicles by the newly formed news channel Independent Television News (ITN).

Prices

After a price cut in 1956, the following prices were asked:

• Conquest (base model) £ 862
• Conquest Century £ 996
• Conquest Century Drophead Coupe £ 1,262

In 1956, one British pound was equivalent to around 11.70 German marks .

Follow-up projects and successors

In 1958 this series was initially abandoned without a successor. Several attempts to develop successors failed.

Lanchester Sprite

At first there had been efforts to bring a Conquest successor under Daimler's subsidiary Lanchester with the model name Sprite to series production; however, they had already been abandoned in 1957 after only 13 vehicles had been produced. The factory referred to cost reasons. Some sources also attribute the failure of the Sprite to corporate policy reasons: The decision to end the development of the Sprite coincided with the departure of Sir Bernard and Lady Nora Docker from the BSA management. Because the reputation of the Dockers was viewed critically, in particular due to Nora Docker's extrovert behavior at BSA and, according to widespread opinion, had also damaged Daimler's reputation, the company's management tried to separate as clearly as possible from the Dockers in 1957. Some sources therefore suspect that the setting of the Lanchester Sprite is actually to be seen against this background, because Sprite was one of Bernard Docker's preferred projects.

Daimler DN250

→ Main article : Daimler DN250

In 1958 there were considerations to take over high- volume Cresta bodies from Vauxhall and equip them with Daimler's newly developed 2.5-liter eight-cylinder engines. This sedan, known internally as the Daimler DN250, was to serve as an entry-level model; Daimler also saw good opportunities to export the car in large numbers to the USA. However, they were given up in the run-up to the takeover of Daimler by the sports car manufacturer Jaguar ; only a prototype was created.

Daimler 2½ liter V8

Daimler 2½ Lite V8

An indirect successor to the Conquest, which was located in a comparable class and had a similar engine, only existed after Jaguar took over Daimler. From 1962 Jaguar built Daimler's small V8 engine into the body of the Jaguar Mark 2 . This version was called Daimler 2½ liter V8 (from 1967: Daimler 250 V8). It was offered parallel to the Mark II until 1968 and was considered its high-priced alternative.

literature

• David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975 , Poundbury, Veloce Publishing, 2013, ISBN 978-1-845845-83-4
• 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
• 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 Conquest  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

Individual evidence

1. ^ Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, David Burgess-Wise: Daimler Century . Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1995, ISBN 1-85260-494-8 , p. 272.
2. ^ ^{A b c} Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, David Burgess-Wise: Daimler Century. Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1995, ISBN 1-85260-494-8 , p. 263.
3. ^ ^{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. 49.
4. ^ ^{A b} Brian Long: Daimler & Lanchester. A Century of Motor History , Longford International Publications, 1995, ISBN 1899154019 , p. 219.
5. ^ ^{A b c} Brian Long: Daimler & Lanchester. A Century of Motor History , Longford International Publications, 1995, ISBN 1899154019 , p. 221.
6. ↑ ^{a b c} Richard Townsend: Docker's Daimlers. Daimler and Lanchester Cars 1945 to 1960 , Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2017, ISBN 978 1 4456 6316 6 , p. 58.
7. ^ Richard Townsend: Docker's Daimlers. Daimler and Lanchester Cars 1945 to 1960, Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2017, ISBN 978 1 4456 6316 6 , p. 51.
8. ^ Richard Townsend: Docker's Daimlers. Daimler and Lanchester Cars 1945 to 1960 , Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2017, ISBN 978 1 4456 6316 6 , p. 50.
9. ^ Richard Townsend: Docker's Daimlers. Daimler and Lanchester Cars 1945 to 1960 , Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2017, ISBN 978 1 4456 6316 6 , p. 57.
10. ^ ^{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. 52.
11. ↑ ^{a b c} Richard Townsend: Docker's Daimlers. Daimler and Lanchester Cars 1945 to 1960 , Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2017, ISBN 978 1 4456 6316 6 , p. 54.
12. ^ Richard Townsend: Docker's Daimlers. Daimler and Lanchester Cars 1945 to 1960 , Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2017, ISBN 978 1 4456 6316 6 , p. 53.
13. ^ Richard Townsend: Docker's Daimlers. Daimler and Lanchester Cars 1945 to 1960 , Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2017, ISBN 978 1 4456 6316 6 , p. 56.
14. ^ Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, David Burgess-Wise: Daimler Century . Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1995, ISBN 1-85260-494-8 , p. 264.
15. ^ Richard Townsend: Docker's Daimlers. Daimler and Lanchester Cars 1945 to 1960 , Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2017, ISBN 978 1 4456 6316 6 , p. 26.
16. ^ ^{A b} Brian Long: Daimler & Lanchester. A Century of Motor History , Longford International Publications, 1995, ISBN 1899154019 , p. 245.