1961 Daimler SP 250

The testing for the vehicle started in 1958, and the vehicle was initially introduced at-the New York Auto Show and this was named as the Dart. The nomenclature adopted by Daimler was met-with resistance by Dodge since the latter already has a production vehicle named Dart at the time of-the introduction of the sports car of Daimler. With the name in question, the management decided on-a name change and this was replaced by Sports 250 or this was abbreviated to SP250 thus the official-introduction in the market of the Daimler SP 250. The name has a meaning of course. According to-Daimler, this model name reflected the engine displacement in cubic centimeters and divided by-10.

In terms of specs and technical details, the chassis and the suspension of the vehicle-was inspired by the Triumphs TR3A. This was also the source of inspiration for the 4-speed gearbox. The Borg-Warner automatic on the other hand was made optional on the vehicle. If other details were inspired-by previous parts, the engine used was considered as original during its time. The engine was a V8-and this was patterned after one of the motorcycle engines during its time. The engine featured-hemispherical combustion chambers and this also featured the opposed valves with the complex-overhead actuation. In terms of horsepower production, the V8 engine used produced 140-horsepower.

Styling wise, the Daimler SP250 went straight to the point. The vehicle featured-an oval grille with V at the front and included as well was the MGA-style nose with headlamps. The windshield was semi-wrapped and the tail of the vehicle featured what looked like fins. The Daimler SP250 was not a full-success with some issues noted. For example, doors often flew open when cornering. The overall-performance of the SP250 paled in comparison with its contemporaries, the TR3A and the Austin-Healey 300 which managed better sales.