Lot Ended
Description
First owned by HRH Princess Norhayati of Brunei; 84,550 miles
indicated; driven 80 miles to the sale; long MOT; private plate; lots to
like
The most
recognisable limousine of all time, the Daimler DS420 first appeared in 1968 and
remained in production substantially unaltered for nearly 25 years. No royal
wedding or state procession would be complete without a long line of these
stately cars quietly wafting along.
Hand-built
by Vanden Plas and sat on a modified Jaguar 420G floorpan, the DS420 featured
the Jag's 4.2 litre, twin cam six-cylinder engine with automatic
transmission, independent suspension and power steering. Production lasted until
1992 and many of the 4,116 examples made were exported to embassies and royal
households abroad. These days they are much favoured for wedding and funeral
work where the sheer grandeur of the limo and the eight-seater capacity proves
invaluable.
As the handbooks reveal, this DS420
was sold new by HR Owen of London to HRH Princess Norhayati of Brunei in
February 1985. The service book has 7 HR Owen stamps up to 7,784 miles in
February 1990, with another unattributed stamp at 39,500 miles in August 1995.
From 2008 – 2015 it was owned by Kerry Vintage
Limos of Chesterfield and for the next 10 years or so by Cherished Cars of
Thornaby who seem to have looked after it well. There are a few invoices for
routine upkeep over this period including: steering box reconditioned in August
2018; reconditioned radiator in Aug 2019; new Hi-Torq starter motor in January
2020; set of plugs HT leads and Viper dry resin sports coil in April
2024.
Our vendor acquired the car as an
attraction for her Cardiff hotel in December last year, partly to ferry guests
about but mainly as a talking point. She soon realised it was a bit too large to
accommodate, hence its appearance in this sale.
As you can see in the photos, it is in generally good condition with
just a few minor bodywork blemishes here and there and a smart interior with
excellent woodwork. We are told that it runs and drives well with an MOT until
July 2025. There are also 18 old MOTs back to 2005 when it was showing 70,474
miles, the odometer currently showing 84,553 miles.
Supplied with a full set of handbooks, it also has a nice private
plate, B800 XYU, and still has a flag pennant on the bonnet, presumably from its
time with the Princess.
Driven some 80 miles to
the sale, this imperious limousine has been starting promptly and running well
as we have moved it around on site with healthy 40psi oil pressure. On offer
here at no reserve, it is no doubt capable of earning a decent living for many
more years to come.
Consigned by James
Dennison – 07970 309907 – [email protected]