If you are purchasing a vehicle from overseas, where you are not able to view or collect the car in person, it is common to feel uncomfortable and stressed. But, as with the purchase of this 1957 Daimler Conquest Coupe by Rex, Autoshippers can handle the collection, arrange a Vehicle Condition Report (VCR) and ship your car to its new home on your behalf, saving you costly travelling costs and time.
Gottlieb Daimler and His Contributions to Automotive History
Along with Henry Ford and Enzo Ferrari, German engineer Gottlieb Daimler has a surname amongst the most famous in Automotive history, as he played a significant part in developing the internal combustion engine. Born in March 1834 in Schorndorf, Germany, he completed his education and began working in a machine shop, subsequently joining the engineering firm of Nikolaus August Otto working on the design of engines.
After falling out with Otto, and joined by Wilhelm Maybach whom he also previously worked alongside at Nikolaus Otto’s engineering company, Daimler patented the first of their engines in December 1883. Subsequent improvements, including the addition of a flywheel, meant that they had an engine that was small, and ran fast enough, to be used at 900 rpm.
This lead in 1885 to the engine being built into the first internal combustion engine powered motorcycle, named the Reitwagen. That same year they created a carburettor which mixed gasoline with air, allowing it to be used as fuel.
In 1886, Daimler and Maybech bought an American made coach, and went about installing a 1.1hp engine of their own creation into it. This became the first four-wheeled vehicle to reach 10mph. They also fitted an engine to a boat and a balloon, creating the first motorboat and airship, visiting the 1889 Paris Exposition to show their achievements.
Daimler’s Legacy: A Look at the Evolution of the Daimler Motor Company
The Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG) was founded in 1890, producing the small, high speed engines that Daimler and Maybech had developed, and they then sold their first automobile in 1892. As well as producing their own engines, they also agreed to licences for Daimler engines to be built across the world, in France, Austria, the USA and, from 1893, in the UK.
Originally the UK licence was held by the Daimler Motor Syndicate, but in 1896 it was transferred to H.J. Lawson’s Daimler Motor Company Limited, which was headquartered in Coventry. In 1910 the company was bought by Birmingham Small Arms (BSA), which also then bought the Lanchester Motor Company, making it a subsidiary of the Daimler Company.
In the 1950s Daimler produced a line of smaller cars, and more opulent show cars, before BSA sold the marque to Jaguar Cars in 1960 (in turn being taken over by BMH in 1966, becoming British Motor Holdings). Daimler then became an upmarket trim level for Jaguar cars, as well as the introduction of the Daimler DS420 limousine in 1968, which was designed specifically for official use, and was popular amongst chauffeur services, and widely used within royalty across Europe, notably the UK, Denmark and Sweden.
When the Ford Motor Company bought Jaguar in 1989, the purchase came with the right to use the Daimler name. The production of the DS420 was ceased in 1992, and in 1996 to celebrate the centenary of the Daimler name in the UK, a series of special editions were produced. After another change of ownership of Jaguar to Tata in 2007, the Daimler Motor Company Limited continued to produce the Super Eight until 2010, and is still a registered company in the UK, although marked as “non-trading”.
The Stylish and Sleek Daimler Conquest Coupe: A Look Back
Produced by the Daimler Motor Company between 1953 and 1958, the Daimler Conquest came in various body styles. The 1953 Conquest had a straight-six engine, manufactured from cast iron, with a single zenith carburettor, delivering 75bhp. In 1954 the Conquest Century model (the model pictured in this article that Autoshippers shipped for Rex) included an alloy head with larger valves, increasing the power to 100bhp.
Originally 250 of the Daimler Conquest Century Drophead Coupe were manufactured between 1953 and 1956, on both right-hand drive (DJ252) and left-hand drive (DJ253). With a top speed of 89mph. However, it is thought that less were actually produced, with very few of the DJ253 left-hand drive specification models actually built.
Marketed in competition with the Jaguar XK120 and Aston Martin DB2, the Conquest Coupe had a sleek body, a stylish interior with leather seats and wood-rimmed steering wheel, and a radio, heater and clock. Praised at the time for its combination of performance and refinement, this glorious UK manufactured car is still a head turner today.
The Benefits of Using Autoshippers: The Smooth Shipping of a 1957 Daimler Conquest Coupe
When Rex enquired with the UK seller as to many aspect of the purchase of this classic car, there was one thing that wasn’t a concern, the shipping from the UK to the cars new home in the USA. Autoshippers quoted to collect, using our specialist nationwide vehicle collection service, so Rex or the UK seller didn’t need to worry about delivering the car to the UK port.
This meant that the marine insurance policy that Rex had taken out via Autoshippers specialist insurance broker, covered the car from the point of collection all the way through to arrival in the USA. The Vehicle Condition Report (VCR) was completed before shipping, so Rex had a record of the condition of the car he had purchased, without travelling to the UK to see it in person.
On this occasion, our Ro/Ro (Roll on Roll off) service was chosen, which utilises specialist vehicle carrying vessels, which have the capability to have vehicles driven on and driven off, meaning often quicker loading and unloading compared with conventional, container vessels.
If you have found a vehicle overseas, and are not able to collect in person, then contact us at Autoshippers. We have the capability to collect from anywhere in the UK, and can arrange covered or enclosed transport if necessary. Please feel free to contact us on +44 117 982 8123 / 0800 389 0784, via the contact form on our website, or by completing the quotation form found on this page.
You can be confident that your vehicle is in safe hands, and we are collecting on behalf of non-UK based customers on a daily basis.
