| Daimler Fifteen 1932—1935 | |
|---|---|
_(15818775260).jpg) 4-door six-light saloon registered January 1935 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | The Daimler Company Limited |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Executive car (E) |
| Body style | four-door "six-light" saloon £450 Coupé £465 Chassis only £350—bodies as arranged with coachbuilder by customer [1] |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related | Lanchester Ten |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1,805 cc 6-cylinder in-line ohv (at launch)[1] 2,003 cc 6-cylinder in-line ohv (from August 1934)[2] |
| Transmission | 4-speed Wilson preselective self-changing gearbox and Fluid Flywheel an open propeller shaft and underhung worm-driven axle[1] |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 109.5 in (2,780 mm)[1]
Track 50 in (1,300 mm) |
| Kerb weight | 24 cwt[3] |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Daimler Fifteen 1936 |
| Daimler Fifteen 1.8-litre engine | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | The Daimler Company |
| Production | July 1932 – August 1934[4] |
| Layout | |
| Configuration | 6-cylinder in-line |
| Displacement | 1,805 cubic centimetres (110 cu in) |
| Cylinder bore | 63.5 mm (2.50 in) |
| Piston stroke | 95 mm (3.7 in) |
| Cylinder block material | cast iron |
| Valvetrain | OHV operated by pushrods from chain-driven camshaft (with vibration damper) |
| Combustion | |
| Fuel system | carburettor, mechanical pump from 12 gallon tank at rear |
| Fuel type | petrol |
| Cooling system | water-cooled by natural circulation, two-bladed fan |
| Output | |
| Power output | 42.5 bhp (31.7 kW; 43.1 PS) @ 3600 rpm. Tax rating 15 hp[3] |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Daimler Fifteen 2-litre |
The Daimler Fifteen was a saloon car at the low end of Daimler Company’s range, offered between 1932 and 1937. It was the first Daimler product for more than two decades with an engine that breathed conventionally through poppet valves. Conventional valve gear had improved, superseding the former advantages of the Daimler-Knight sleeve-valve technology. The car's name derived from its tax rating of 15 hp.[5] The design of its 6-cylinder 1.8-litre engine was developed from the 4-cylinder 1.2-litre Lanchester Ten which was installed in Lanchester's shorter versions of the same chassis and bodies and using the same Daimler semi-automatic transmissions.[1]
The Fifteen was the first Daimler to be offered at less than £500 since World War I.[1] The Great Depression of the 1930s was well established and Daimler, responsible for economical BSA three-wheelers and, from 1931, the mid-price Lanchester range, went downmarket to assist sales in the austere times.
In August 1934, in anticipation of the reduction in annual tax charge, the Fifteen was given a larger 2-litre engine.[4] Again in August 1936 the engine was increased to 2.2-litres then another two years later to a full 2½-litres.
- ^ a b c d e f Our Motoring Correspondent (28 September 1932). "Cars Of 1933". The Times. No. 46250. London. p. 5.
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ Our Motoring Correspondent (18 September 1934). "Cars Of To-Day". The Times. No. 46862. London. p. 17.
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ a b Our Motoring Correspondent (17 January 1933). "Cars Of To-Day". The Times. No. 46344. London. p. 6.
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ a b Our Motoring Correspondent (17 August 1934). "Cars Of 1935". The Times. No. 46835. London. p. 10.
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ RAC Rating