Daimler Majestic

Daimler Majestic DF316
Kerb weight		35 long hundredweight (3,900 lb; 1,800 kg)[2]
Chronology
Predecessor	Daimler One-O-Four (1955-58)
Successor	Daimler Majestic Major (1960-68) Daimler Sovereign (1966-69)

DF316 3.8-litre engine
Overview
Cooling system	water, pump and fan, thermostatically controlled
Output
Power output	147 bhp (110 kW; 149 PS) @4,400 rpm[3]
Torque output	209 lb⋅ft (283 N⋅m) @ 2,800 rpm

The Daimler Majestic DF316/7 and DF318/9 luxury saloon was launched by the

When announced in July 1958, the Majestic replaced the automatic version of the One-O-Four which continued in production with the pre-selector gearbox.[7]

Construction

An evolution of the preceding One-O-Four, the Majestic, like all new Daimlers following 1937's

.

The Majestic's four-wheel Lockheed-servo-assisted Dunlop disc brakes were regarded as a first for a British production car.[7]^[8] It was the first saloon car without any claim to a sportscar nature to be equipped with disc brakes. An emergency or handbrake was provided by fitting special pads to the rear brake discs which were operated by cables and rods.

The engine, slightly larger than the

was considerably enlarged to allow for the fitting of completely new liners: dry liners as present on the One-O-Four were absent on the Majestic. The Borg-Warner transmission required repositioning of the starter motor and consequent modifications to the crankcase and cylinder block castings. The crankshaft has four main bearings, integral balance weights and a torsional vibration damper mounted at the front.

The top of the radiator was lowered 2 inches from the One-o-Four's. The styling of the Majestic is similar to, but wider and with smoother lines than the

.

The usual Daimler luxury fittings included: heating and ventilating equipment, windscreen washer, cigar lighter, lockable glove compartment, two courtesy lights when any door is opened, special reading lights for passengers, spring-balanced lid for the luggage compartment which is illuminated when the car sidelights are in use, etc.

Performance

A car tested by the British magazine

Market positioning

• Daimler Majestic: £2495[1]
• Jaguar Mark IX: £1995^[11]

The two cars had similar specifications but the Daimler was narrower and had a smaller frontal area with the quality of finish —and variety of all finishes— mass production cannot easily provide. Jaguar horsepower figures were deliberately quoted on a US standard and thus inflated a good deal.

Daimler's customers saw Jaguars as cars for 'Cops and Robbers' and disliked their hint of cut-price luxury and rapid deterioration. Jaguar buyers may have regarded these if not all Daimlers as not just staid but super-stuffy.

In the 1980s Jaguar's prices and quality were firmly raised.

Stablemate

The Daimler Majestic was supplemented by Turner's 4.5-litre V8 Daimler Majestic Major in the same body announced at the 1959 motor show though production was delayed until the following year.^[12] The six-cylinder car was more popular though produced for half the period.^[13]

Production Figures

Model	Chassis Type	Years	Number Produced[14]
Majestic	DF316/7 & DF318/9	1958-1962	1490
Majestic Major	DQ450/1	1960-1968	1191
Majestic Major Limousine	DR450/1	1961-1968	867

Jaguar takeover

A preliminary announcement on 26 May 1960 confirmed negotiations were nearing completion for Jaguar's purchase of Daimler and its factory.^[15]

Jaguar Majestic

In 1989 and 1990 Jaguar Cars produced a special edition of the

using the Majestic name, at first in the US only, leather-equipped with steering wheel in interior colour and often red or blue piping. In the final XJ40 years the name Majestic was used for the special build LWB XJ40, of which only 121 examples were constructed.

Notes

References

• ISBN 1-85260-494-8
  .
• Porter, Tony (2002). "Daimler Majestic and Majestic Major". Fletcherservices.com.au. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2007.
• Smith, Brian E. (1972). The Daimler Tradition. Isleworth, UK: Transport Bookman.
  ISBN 0851840043
  .