CarBrandLogos archive · Daimler · 1953

DaimlerConquest

Named for its own price tag, and quietly quick in Century form.

Photo: Charles01 · CC BY-SA 3.0

The story

A defining chapter in Daimler history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Daimler Conquest, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

1957 Daimler Conquest Century drophead coupe 01

Origins

Daimler in the early 1950s was a coachbuilt firm serving royalty and mayors, and it needed something it could sell in volume. The Conquest replaced the Consort as a mid-priced saloon, and its name came from arithmetic rather than romance: the basic price was set at £1,066, a number no British buyer could misread.

1957 Daimler Conquest Century drophead coupe 01 · OSX · Public domain

1957 Daimler Conquest Century drophead coupe 03

Design and engineering

Under the bonnet sat a 2,433 cc straight-six, initially with a cast-iron head, a single Zenith carburettor and 75 bhp. Transmission was Daimler's own preselector gearbox with fluid flywheel — no clutch pedal in the usual sense, and a driving technique that owners either loved or never mastered. A Borg-Warner automatic became available towards the end of the run.

1957 Daimler Conquest Century drophead coupe 03 · OSX · Public domain

In production

The car that made the range interesting was the Conquest Century, with an aluminium alloy head and twin SU carburettors lifting it to 100 bhp — hence the name — and giving a heavy saloon respectable pace. Drophead coupé and roadster bodies were also offered, the latter in tiny numbers.

1954 Daimler Conquest-Century FJ-06-RH · Alfvanbeem · CC0

Legacy

Production ended in January 1958 with nothing to take its place. Daimler's next act was the SP250 and, soon after, absorption into Jaguar.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Engine

2433 cc straight-6

Body

4-door Sedan

Technical specification

The Conquest, in detail.

Production: 1953–January 1958
Class: Executive car (E)
Body style: 4-door Sedan (car); saloon; 2-door drophead coupe; 2-door Roadster (automobile); roadster
Engine: 2433 cc straight-6; Conquest: 75 bhp, cast iron head, single Zenith carb.; Conquest Century: 100 bhp, aluminium alloy head, twin SU carbs.
Transmission: preselector gearbox with fluid flywheel (1953–1956); optional B-W automatic (1956–1958); cars DJ260 or DJ261
Assembly: United Kingdom: Coventry
Manufacturer: The Daimler Company Limited