Winston Churchill’s Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe
Sir Winston Churchill’s Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe, currently on display at the Brooklands Museum, forms the highlight of the Historics at Brooklands auction on Saturday December 4th. Featuring coachwork by the Carlton Carriage Co, the historical Daimler DB18 (Chassis Number: 49531), was used by the British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill during 1944 and 1949 election campaigns.
The car had previous owners in the US, Germany, UK and even an Iranian Prince, but it’s been fully restored by the revered restorer, E. Thiesen of Hamburg, Germany with €140,000. It is now expected to fetch offers in the region of £200,000 to £250,000. Churchill’s Daimler is finished in stately silver over black coachwork with a contrasting three-position cabriolet hood. The stunning exterior is complemented by a luxurious green leather bench seat in the front and sideways seat in the rear. The car’s wooden dashboard features period black Jaeger instruments.
Winston Churchill’s Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe
Churchill’s Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe was able, in its good days, to get to a top speed of 76 mph and was able to accelerate from 0 to 50 mph in 17.9 seconds. Although technically speaking the DB18 utilizes manual transmission, the car actually makes use of a 4 speed Wilson Pre-selector gearbox in tandem with the Daimler Fluid Flywheel, which allows the driver to select the next available gear by hand before using the ‘change pedal’ to enact the shift.
One of eight of the 23 DB18 Drophead Coups planned (the rest were abandoned due to Daimler’s Coventry plant being bombed in the Blitz of 1940), this car is also the only one known to have survived. Four were destroyed during the Blitz bombing, one scrapped and the whereabouts of the remaining two are unknown.
Winston Churchill’s Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe
Winston Churchill’s Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe
Winston Churchill’s Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe
