The Daimler name is not English but German, Gottlieb Daimler having begun by producing small motor launch engines. Daimler engines were later fitted to a number of Frenchmanufactured cars around the turn of the century, and British companies were involved in the production of Daimlerpowered motor launches and subsequently motor cars, using the Daimler name for which rights were secured.
Early in the twentieth century all ties between Daimler at Bad Cannstatt and Daimler in Coventry were severed and the British company soon began to develop the Knight sleeve valve engine and used that in all of its cars from 1908. This design did not use the more common poppet valves and was very quiet in operation. However, its oil consumption was relatively high at 450 miles per gallon and the cars always left a slight trail of oil haze. Nevertheless, Daimlers became the cars of royalty across Europe, and remained so until after World War Two.
