It has taken longer than I expected, and it's also been a lot of fun.  Here is my completed Daimler Dart, a 1962 Harrington G.T. concept by TW Collection. First, a few words of background:

DAIMLER DART 1962, Harrington G.T., TW Collection, #230

 The Daimler Motor Company Limited, was an independent British motor vehicle producer, 1896 -2009.  The name “Daimler” was used by purchase from its German owners. Daimler was awarded a Royal Warrant to provide cars to the British monarch in 1902, lasting into the 1950’s when it was supplanted by Rolls-Royce.

   Attempting to broaden its markets and stay alive as an industry, Daimler tried  in the 1950s a line of smaller cars at one end and opulent show cars at the other, continued their traditional high-performance luxury saloon and limousine, and developed and sold a V8 powered, fiberglass bodied sports car. The last was designed from scratch (with a strong Triumph influence) and was the last all new car produced by the old Daimler Company.  Production had hardly commended before William Lyon’s Jaguar purchased Daimler, primarily for the under-utilized manufacturing capability (Jaguar paid £3.4m – May 1960).        Ford bought Jaguar Cars in 1990 and stopped using the Daimler marque in 2009 when the last X358 Daimler models were discontinued.

   The subject of my project is that Daimler V8 sports car, launched as the Daimler Dart in April 1959 at the New York Motor Show.  It was unofficially voted as the ugliest car at the show. Chrysler, whose Dodge division owned the trademark for the "Dart" model, became threatening, and Daimler officially resumed the code number SP350, but the usage of “Dart” informally continued.

Perhaps it was those awkward looks or maybe it’s because just 2645 were made over five years, but the Daimler SP250 Dart is a rare sight indeed. 

Aside from the flexible-flyer chassis, the body design was something of a weak point. At that time it was described as looking like a thrown-together collection of trendy styling cues without much integration, and a front hood and grille that more resembled a catfish than a sports car. ( I think the front end has a resemblance to the unlamented 1958 Packard, the last of that vaunted brand.)

Back in the UK, the SP250 found popularity among the London police force. Between 26 and 30 black cars were utilized by the officers in high-speed chases. The Daimler’s V8 engine could crank out a top speed of 120 mph, making it an ideal chase vehicle. Police in Liverpool, Manchester and Surrey also used the car.

    The English racing industry resulted in a 1962 concept that became this 1:43 model.   The Sussex Car Bodywork Company experimented with the Daimler SP250 (Dart), combining slope-backed coupe styling with the fiberglass convertible SP250 for Gran Tourismo styling.  Due to the large expenses involved, the labor force was transferred to work with a Triumph coupe, leaving behind purportedly two partially completed coupes.  These, it seems, became the inspiration for the Daimler Dart model that TW produced in the 1990’s and that I have constructed.  Earlier, TW Collection produced the open SP250 as kit number 113, which I have never seen.

For information on Trevor Wright (TW), see

https://www.hobbydb.com/marketplaces/hobbydb/subjects/trevor-wright-designer

 And, finally, the process:

The next picture shows that TW does include windows.  Well, wrapped inside red paper alongside the steering wheel were four small pieces of clear plastic.  I attempted to make them fit, substituting a curved piece of my own for the windshield.  I left the driver's window "down."

I'm not even sure if the 1:1 exists, and I think the 1:43 is a bit uncommon.  It has been a lot of fun, even if the results are pretty crude in the window department.

Just in case you find one of these kits, here's the underside with the company logo:

Enjoy!    David H