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1964 Daimler 2½ litre V8

by Esmond Tearle

A few weeks after acquiring my new toy, I met a man at a major classic car show. I was actually looking at the cars he had displayed and they were all for sale. Dare I say that the three Daimler V8's were certainly no better than mine was, but they were priced substantially higher. Anyway, this chap introduced himself and asked if I was interested in one of the fine automobiles he had on offer. I casually commented that I had very recently bought one. His face dropped, but obviously not wishing to seem too uninterested as I obviously wasn't going to be a source of profit to him, he asked what colour scheme my car was. I told him, and with a pained expression, he asked if I had bought the car in Northamptonshire by any chance. I had met the other interested party. I left before he threw me off his stand. He had the look off a man who had just lost a briefcase full of money.

The first family outing was a trip up to see my dear old mate Charles Clarke at the Wiveton Bell pub near Blakeney on the North Norfolk coast. We stayed at a lovely farmhouse that had previously been a base for a week's holiday in this largely unspoilt part of the country.

Charles christened me "Morse" for obvious reasons, the car and my previous career in law enforcement. The only thing that perhaps took the edge off the weekend was possibly my cars unquenchable thirst and its passion for stopping at filling stations. Certainly not the sort of car for the economy conscious motorist to choose. Still, I figured that it was a small price to pay for such luxury.

On the way home, the heavens opened and the cross ply tyres did little to fill me with confidence. We must have aquaplaned most of the way home sideways.

The first thing I did on the Monday morning was to phone my local tyre centre and order a set of radials. Originality didn't even come into the equation. I didn't want to have another drive as scary as that one.

With the warmer weather, I decided to start delving a bit deeper into the Daimler. It still looked too good to be true. I knew that the car had undergone a very expensive professional repaint a few years before I bought it, but it looked so good that surely there must be a few hidden problems. I unscrewed the interior trim panel inside the immaculate boot. Hidden away were about two pounds in weight of very fine sand.

This was consistent with the early years of the car's life down in Bournemouth and Poole. The original lady owner had owned the car for fourteen years and during that time, had always had the car service at the local Jaguar dealers. The full and incredibly comprehensive service history was testimony to this. The fine sand had obviously been blown in through a tiny gap between the boot lid and the rubber seal.

I removed the interior door trim panels and it was evident that the doors were in perfect condition. I suspect that the doors and the boot lid were possibly replacements, purely as older cars so often suffer some corrosion due to water finding it's way to the door bottoms and not draining away properly. It is not uncommon for the Mk 2's to shown the usual signs of corrosion along the bottom of the door frames and bubbling alone the lower edge of the door skins. In addition, quite often they rust in the centre of the skin. This is due to a felt pad between the frame and the skin. It serves as a sponge to hold water in a place that is out of sight. The result is that in time the door skin rusts through.

I am glad to say that my doors were fine. Even the area behind the rear seat that is another weak spot was excellent.

In coming months, I had a friend re-trim the upholstery in new leather the same shade as the original. I had tried to recondition the seats, but the cracks were too far gone. It's again down to personal preference, but I felt that the leather was not up to the high standard of the rest of the car. The job he did is absolutely superb.

I ordered a new carpet set to replace the worn and faded original one and spent a Sunday morning meticulously fitting it. Things were looking really good.

I was out cruising one day, and just happened to call by on an old friend to show him my prized possession. He was suitable impressed and mentioned that he had a set of old wood for a Jag. I agreed to exchange it for a pile of old car magazines. Many hours spent very carefully rubbing down the wooden dashboard top with 1200 grade wet and dry paper removed all traces of the cracked varnish and exposed the veneer beneath which was in lovely condition. I cleaned it all off with white spirit and before it evaporated; the grain was really highlighted. I didn't want that high gloss finish that you so often see that gives the impression of wood effect plastic. I hoped to achieve the same finish as the car would have had when new.

I decide that a satin finish varnish would be best, and then it could be polished when the job was done. A brush would have left too many marks, so I decided to use a very soft lint free cloth pad to apply each coat of varnish. I rubbed down carefully between coats and kept going until it all looked just right. I think it was about eight coats in total. Another very light rub down and then a polish. I actually used T-Cut for this. I was more than pleased with the result and after a few coats of bee's wax polish, I had exactly the finish I had been aiming for.

The only other parts of the interior that I felt could be improved upon were the Furflex around the doors, and the rear section of the roof lining that had suffered from the sun over the years. Bob the trimmer took care of the roof lining and found material that matched perfectly.

The Furlex was obtained from a Jaguar Daimler specialist and I set about the task. Each piece of wooden trim around the roof lining and above the door shuts needed to be removed. That entailed removing the door sealing rubbers to gain access to the tiny screw heads holding the wood trim in place. I actually managed to break on wooden section as I missed one of the screws before trying to remove it.

The Furflex sits behind the wood, and is attached by a combination of glue, staples and tacks. It sounds complicated, but when you become familiar with what you are dealing with, it's surprisingly easy to do. I reckon I could now do a whole car, all four doors on a Sunday morning before the pubs open.

I haven't really mentioned the mechanical side of things. The previous owner already had the engine reconditioned and again, the cars history provided proof that all parts had been bought from a specialist and that a local garage had carried out the work. I should add that the previous owner worked for that garage.

The gearbox had been the subject of a full rebuild by a locally renowned automatic gearbox specialist.

Apart form the new tyres, I did renew the radiator hoses and the metal pipes that form part of the cooling system. The layout of the V8 cooling system is such that there are a number of small tee-shaped hoses that sit above the engine. These can after a while, become weak and leak. It made sense to replace these as a cautionary measure.

I have owned "Morse" for a number of years now, and the magic certainly hasn't worn off. I love the style of the car, and that wonderful luxurious interior. The seats have now mellowed nicely and the aroma of the leather and the furniture polish is as special as it was when I first went to see the car. Only time can create that delightful patina of age, and now Morse has that lovely feel again.

For a big heavy car the performance is more than adequate, even with the automatic gearbox. For me, also very high on the enjoyment list is that wonderful burble for the twin exhausts. I think that driving a car such as this should be a sedate and leisurely experience. There is no point in rushing to get anywhere fast, you need to savour the moment and make the journey last.

This is the type of classic that is high on image, and they have over recent years gained in popularity. That old image of these once being a favourite with villain's as they were in the past has now largely diminished. In fact Inspector Morse has without doubt done a lot to create a more romantic image for the Jaguar Mk2, but to many, the very word Daimler gives that added air of sheer luxury.

If you ever fancy owning an old Jag, be sure to check out the Daimler 2 ½-litre V8 saloon. Most were automatics, and indeed a manual commands a premium, assuming you can find one.

The prices for these graceful old cars are set to rise as the classic car movement grows. Don't miss out, get one whilst they are still affordable.

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