Historics at Brooklands auction house will be offering a truly historic car at its third sale this December. Churchill's Daimler DB18 put on auction was used by the British Prime Minister during 1944 and 1949 election campaigns and is expected to go for up to 250,000 GBP. Churchill's Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe is one of eight built in 1939. four of them were destroyed in the Blitz, a fifth is severely damaged and two of them have disappeared from the radar.
The car in question is a stunning Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe with a body built by the British coachworks Carlton Carriage, and is expected to sell for in between £200,000 and £250,000 ($320,000 to $403,000) when it hits the auctioneer's block on December 4th. In our eyes, we must admit this seams very cheap, as the car is one of eight DB18 Drophead Coupes built.
The Daimler Motor Company had chassis allocation to build 23 DB18 Drophead Coupés, but only eight were made owing to the Second World War. Of the eight coupes built, four were confirmed destroyed in the bombing and a fifth was sold for scrap. As of today, the only known car is the Chassis Number 49531.
The silver over black paintwork contrasts with a three-position chocolate-coloured folding roof and green leather interior, formed of a bench seat in the front and a sideways seat in the rear.
Car Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe is equipped with six-cylinder inline engine capacity of 2.5 liters and output of 70 horsepower. The engine is mounted with a quad-speed manual gearbox. Its top speed is 122 km / h, acceleration to 80 miles per hour and takes him 17.9 seconds.
Press Release
A car used by the greatest Briton* – Sir Winston Churchill – is set for auction at arguably the greatest British auction venue – Brooklands – when Historics hosts its third sale at its permanent home on Saturday, December 4th.
Featuring the finest coachwork by the Carlton Carriage Co., the Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupé was used by the British Prime Minister during 1944 and 1949 election campaigns and is expected to fetch offers in the region of £200,000 to £250,000.
Owing to the second world war, only eight of the proposed 23 DB18 Drophead Coupés due for 1939 were built, with four completely destroyed during the Blitz, a fifth so badly damaged it was scrapped and the whereabouts of two unknown, Chassis 49531 remains the only discovered surviving 1939 model.
Rolling off the production line in the same year motor racing ceased at Brooklands, the DB18 was capable of a top speed of 76 mph and a 0 – 50 mph acceleration time of a none-too-shabby 17.9 seconds.
Although technically speaking the DB18 utilises manual transmission, the car actually makes use of a 4 speed Wilson Pre-selector gearbox in tandem with the Daimler Fluid Flywheel, which allows the driver to select the next available gear by hand before using the ‘change pedal’ to enact the shift.
With its extensive history well documented, including ownership in the U.S.A, Germany, UK and even by an Iranian Prince, this eminently intriguing motorcar has benefited from a painstaking c €140,000 top-to-bottom restoration by the revered restorer, E. Thiesen of Hamburg, Germany.
Finished in stately silver over black coachwork with a contrasting three-position cabriolet hood, the striking exterior is complimented by a luxurious green leather bench seat in the front and sideways seat in the rear, whilst an elegant wooden dashboard houses period black Jaeger instruments.
The car will be on display at the Brooklands Museum until the sale on Saturday December 4th, and for more information, or to attend the Historics at Brooklands auction on the afternoon of December 4th, call 0800 988 3838, e-mail: auctions@historics.co.uk, or see the website, www.historics.co.uk.. Entry by catalogue only, available prior to, or on the day of the auction.
