Daimler - a potted history
In 1996 Daimler became the first still-existing British make of car to celebrate its centenary. Its contemporaries or near contemporaries, such as Lanchester and Wolseley, have long since gone out of production. Originally founded as the British licensee of the German Daimler company, and therefore now the only other company with the right to use this name, Daimler also
became the first manufacturer to build cars in Britain, in the Motor Mills in Coventry. By the turn of the century Daimler had become *the* Royal car, as the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), bought a Daimler. Daimler established a reputation for quality and luxury, and became one of Britain's most respected car manufacturers. The company was technically innovative, and introduced features such as the sleeve-valve engine in 1908 and the fluid flywheel with a pre-selector gearbox in 1929. Among the most famous models were the magnificent V12-engined Double Sixes of the 1920s and 1930s, and in the post-war period, the extravagant show cars inspired by Lady Docker, wife of the company's chairman. In 1960, the Daimler company was sold by BSA to Jaguar, but the new owner continued to make cars in the Daimler tradition, worthy bearers of the famous name.
