RESTORATION DAIMLER SP250
Not only is Tim Mallyon a self-confessed Jaguar enthusiast but his passion extends to the company’s sister marque. His first Jaguar-bodied car (bought as a 19-year-old) was a Daimler V8-250, and the restoration project that he has just finished is a Daimler SP250.
His enthusiasm bubbles over at every turn. He tells me, “I’m not sure where the urge came from to get my hands on a Daimler SP250 but it must have started back in the mid-1980s, when I was in my late teens. I’d just bought a Daimler V8-250. It wasn’t the most sensible of cars, especially for a cash strapped 19-year-old, but I wanted something different - and that’s what I got! There was just something about the small V8; the turbine like sound, the smoothness, the looks, and of course the terrific exhaust note.”
Tim soon learned that the engine was derived from the quirky Daimler sports car, the ill-fated SP250. Back then, he thought the SP250 was an interesting project that he might tackle some time in the future. But his focus at the time was enjoying the V8-250, on the road and getting his hands dirty » maintaining the car in his garage.
Ten years went by and Tim didn’t give the Daimler SP250 another thought until he saw one at a classic car event. “It looked good, in white with a hard top, and it was definitely quirky.” Then again in 2006 another
