If there is a model that can claim the ‘Royal’ designation, it is the Daimler DS420.
It is said that the Daimler company first made contact with the English court in 1896. Invited by the house engineer, JS. Critchley, the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII, was enthusiastic about a test and would repeat, already in the same palace, in 1899, with a three-litre 4-cylinder engine powered by John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron de Montagu van Beaulieu, well-known journalist and sportsman of the time, parliamentarian, close friend of the Prince of Wales and father of the founder of the famous museum that bears his name. Convinced, the future king ordered his first car, a two-cylinder Daimler with a phaeton-like body, made by Hooper. And so this story begins, with Daimler being the only manufacturer to have supplied cars to all five British monarchs since 1901: Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.
Even Rolls-Royce had to settle for second for a while. After his marriage to Princess Elizabeth in 1948, Prince Philip of Edinburgh opened the door for Rolls with an order for a personal car, a Phantom IV. Delivered in 1950, she became part of the official fleet in 1952 when Princess Elizabeth became Queen. Despite this, the Daimler Straight Eight remained the favorite among the reigning monarchs of the time, such as Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, and Prince Rainier of Monaco.
This supremacy of Daimler changed with the next generation of cars. The Rolls Phantom V won on orders from five reigning monarchs: Elizabeth II, Hussein of Jordan, Emperor Hirohito of Japan, Hakim Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain and Emir Sabbah III of Kuwait, while the Daimler DR450 was delivered to King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and King Hussein of Jordan, the latter with a passion for cars.
But William Lyons, the maker of the Jaguar firm, wanted to reclaim the “throne” and had the new Daimler DS420 launched in the same year as the new Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, restoring Daimler’s supremacy in the royal courts. with King Frederick IX of Denmark. The Danish monarch used the first Daimler limousine, actually a pre-production unit, during his visit to London in April 1968, then ordered a production model, in black paint, delivered in March 1970, thus beginning a true story of love. in the Danish court for this model, to which we shall return later.
To know the genesis of this Daimler DS420 we have to go back to 1960. That year Daimler is taken over by Jaguar, bought in turn by the British Motor Corporation in 1966 and converted into the British Leyland conglomerate in 1968. BMC and Jaguar already had their own limousines before they merged: the Vanden Plas Princes and Daimler DR450 respectively. In order to avoid internal competition, it was decided to make one model, under the Daimler logo. Most of the engineering is done by Jaguar, whose 420 G model serves as the starting point. The lines were developed by coachbuilder Vanden Plas, in a quintessentially British style, especially the rear with its counter-bends and prominent hull, reminiscent of the “Razor Edge” style of the 1940s.
In a first phase, Vanden Plas, in Kingsbury (London), manufactures the Daimler limousine. And when it closed in 1980, production continued in a new purpose-built facility at Jaguar’s factory in Browns Lane, Coventry. A team of fifty people produced between four and five cars a week. And each of them had its idiosyncrasies, depending on the requirements of its buyer. The first order for the new model by a monarch was promoted by Daimler in a supplement to the sales catalog showing King Frederick IX’s new car in front of Christiansborg Palace.
Prince Rainier III of Monaco also received a DS420 in 1970 and even personally collected the car from the factory, which was then flown to Nice. Painted in a mix of gold, silver and light green, the prince served as a representative car until his death in 2005 and is today on display at the Monaco Automobile Museum.
But the biggest fan of the DS420 was undoubtedly Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, mother of the current Queen Elizabeth II of England. Between 1970 and his death in 2002 he used five DS420s (delivered in 1970, 1978, 1983, 1986 and 1992 respectively). He even went to personally select the specific details and elements in the factory. They were all painted in the royal livery of black and burgundy. And at the express wish of the Queen Mother, after her death, the last of them was donated to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust (JDHT), which today oversees its exhibition, either at the Gaydon Museum or at classic gatherings. .
Since 1950, a Daimler limousine with Hooper’s body has been in service at the Swedish court. For replacement, the DS420 was chosen. The black Daimler was completed in October 1987 and then handed over to King Carl XVI Gustaf. It is still in use, but for small official assignments, the Swedish monarch uses more modern saloons.
King Hussein of Jordan had a Daimler limousine built in 1970. He was painted in a sand color and had several functions, including bringing the current King Abdullah II to school at an early age. It is currently on display at the Royal Automobile Museum in Amman. King Yahya Petra of Malaysia was the first Far Eastern monarch to order the Daimler limousine in 1977. He was followed in 1981 by the Sultan of Brunei, who kept his limousine in England for use while traveling in the UK.
1984 would be a special year for Daimler. With eight commissions from reigning monarchs from around the world, Straight Eight’s record had already been broken. That year, Queen Elizabeth II ordered her first DS420 to serve primarily as a transport for her son Prince Charles and his young wife Lady Diana. Like the models delivered to the Queen Mother, it was painted black in combination with royal burgundy.
In 1987, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the reign of Elizabeth II, it was decided to rejuvenate the fleet. The two Vanden Plas Princess limousines are retired, as is the Rolls-Royce Phantom IV Landaulet. Rolls-Royce delivered a Phantom VI with standard limousine body and Daimler a DS420 Limousine with the update introduced in that year. The latter was initially intended for use by Prince Charles and his wife Diana, as well as their sons Princes William and Harry. But it also served Sarah Ferguson in official acts, and even the Queen herself: you could tell who was inside by the shield she carried on the ceiling, behind a blue light. This 1987 Daimler would be the first to make some cosmetic changes typical of the last generation delivered to a royal court. In August 1988, Queen Elizabeth orders her third DS420 limousine to replace the 1984 limousine. Except for a minor detail in the interior, it was identical in configuration to the 1987 model.
During the 1990s, production of the DS 420 was gradually reduced until it was discontinued in 1992. Of the last four units produced, one was for the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, another for the Queen Mother and a pair with identical equipment for Elizabeth II. Daimler’s limousine had lasted a year longer than its rival Rolls-Royce Phantom VI. Both models were no longer able to cope with the new crash test and emission regulations.
But the real desires were different. For example, both the 1992 and 1988 models still serve in the service of Queen Elizabeth, or were used at the weddings of Prince Edward, Prince William, Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie. There have even been times when royals have been able to ride her, such as Prince William or Princess Anne.
After the death of King Frederick IX in 1972, both his daughter and successor, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Queen Dowager Ingrid, wanted to use the Daimler; and so another DS420 was ordered, delivered in 1974. It was identical to the first, except for a minor change in the design of the rear side windows. Queen Ingrid opted for the newer car and used it both privately and for business. A typical workday began when she accompanied her grandchildren to school before attending her public duties. In 1986 the time had come to replace one of the two widely used limousines, but the newer car was replaced, not the older one, probably for sentimental reasons, allowing Queen Dowager Ingrid to continue with the Daimler. King Frederick IX had ordered. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark would also have liked to have a DS420, but where to get it after the end of production? Monarchs are usually not customers in the used car market. But the Danish monarch was lucky enough to find an immaculate example, with only a few kilometers, which a Swedish importer had kept in reserve since 1987. Probably originally intended for the King of Sweden, this 1987 Daimler limousine was gifted to the Queen of Denmark in 1994.
The Daimler DS420 can also lay claim to a special royal record. The rear compartment can accommodate up to six passengers, thanks to the luggage racks or small folding seats. No other car has had the honor of carrying six members of a reigning royal family at the same time, except the Daimler limousine. For example, both sons of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark have four children and can be seen together with their parents in the back of the Daimlers. Although they have also provided and delivered services in embassies, courts, hotels or wedding companies, if there is one model that can claim the name “Royal”, it is the Daimler DS420, today a much appreciated classic.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
