As good as it gets
You could make a case for this being the best Daimler Dart in the country. That wasn’t necessarily the goal when Kevin Lindsell bought the car but the results of his restoration speak for themselves. Just take in the shape of the top roll of the seats. They are full and round and there’s not the slightest hint of a pull or a pucker in the leather. Connolly hide imported from England, naturally, but upholstered here.
I mentioned the upholstery to Kevin and he said the quality of the work on the seats had drawn similar comments from others, including other Dart owners and a concours winner.
Handily, half a dozen of the best examples of the marque were parked alongside his at this car show, so comparison was easy. They were also in first-class condition but Kevin’s car had a freshness that wasn’t due solely to its immaculate and classic ivory white paint or that the build had been finished just days before the show.
SHOWSTOPPER
The looks of the Daimler Dart aren’t to everyone’s taste. Its groper mouth is unusual and it has fins clearly designed to appeal to American tastes. Unfortunately, at its unveiling over the pond in 1959, it was unofficially voted the ugliest car of the New York motor show. And for good measure Dodge, which had a saloon car called a ‘Dart’, threatened to sue, so the name was hastily changed to Daimler’s internal model number, ‘SP250’, for that market. Tons of promotional material were binned.
Daimler Darts are better appreciated now and many of
