Daimler Conquest (1954) 'Queenie'

Now you can truly travel like royalty. Back in 1954, 'Queenie' was one of the official cars used for the Royal Tour of New Zealand - less than a year after the young Princess Elizabeth became Queen.
Onlookers will watch enviously as you regally waft by. They may not guess at the car's royal history, but the registration plate 'I HRH I' is sure to turn a few heads! Let the chauffeur take the strain as you sink back, relax and enjoy the Daimler's classic interior resplendent with quality leather seats and genuine walnut interior trim.
Onlookers will watch enviously as you regally waft by. They may not guess at the car's royal history, but the registration plate 'I HRH I' is sure to turn a few heads! Let the chauffeur take the strain as you sink back, relax and enjoy the Daimler's classic interior resplendent with quality leather seats and genuine walnut interior trim.
Please note Queenie is licensed to carry a maximum of four passengers. Queenie's rear seat width is 130cm/51 inches
Queenie in Napier |
The Royal Tour of New Zealand 1954 |
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Mainly for Anoraks
Original 1954 Daimler advertisements for the Conquest
What world events happened in 1954?
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Daimler Conquest
The Daimler Conquest DJ250 is a series of automobiles which was produced by The Daimler Company Limited in the United Kingdom from 1953 to 1958. Based on the Lanchester Fourteen, the Conquest replaced the Daimler Consort. Sales were affected by increasing prices and by the fuel shortage caused by the Suez Crisis, and production ended by 1958. The standard 1953 Conquest used a straight-six engine developed from the inline-four engine used in Lanchester's Fourteen and Leda models. The engine was made from cast iron and had a single Zenith carburettor and a compression ratio of 6.6:1. With a bore of 76.2 mm (3.00 in) and a stroke of 88.9 mm (3.50 in), the engine displaced 2,433 cc (2.433 L; 148.5 cu in) and delivered 75 bhp (56 kW).
The body was a slightly modified version of that used on the earlier Lanchester Fourteen. Apart from the grille, The Conquest was identical in appearance to the Lanchester Leda. While the Fourteen had been coachbuilt of steel on a timber frame, the Leda had an all-steel body, on which the Conquest's was based. Lanchester was a subsidiary of Daimler. The whole car appeared to have been developed within four months of Bernard Docker, then managing director of BSA, taking on the additional responsibility of managing director of Daimler in January 1953.
Presented as a new car, the 75 hp (1953–1956) Daimler Conquest saloon chassis and running gear had originated in the 1950 Lanchester Fourteen or Leda. The usual Daimler large cruciform chassis had a double wishbone front suspension, with laminated torsion bars, telescopic dampers, and an anti-roll bar, while the rear suspension used leaf springs with telescopic dampers. The Conquest featured automatic chassis lubrication to 21 points, using a pump controlled by exhaust heat.
Cam and peg steering was used, and Girling hydro-mechanical brakes. (Hydro - mechanical = hydraulic front, mechanical rear brakes.) The cars had an 2,642 mm (104 in) wheelbase.
The body was a slightly modified version of that used on the earlier Lanchester Fourteen. Apart from the grille, The Conquest was identical in appearance to the Lanchester Leda. While the Fourteen had been coachbuilt of steel on a timber frame, the Leda had an all-steel body, on which the Conquest's was based. Lanchester was a subsidiary of Daimler. The whole car appeared to have been developed within four months of Bernard Docker, then managing director of BSA, taking on the additional responsibility of managing director of Daimler in January 1953.
Presented as a new car, the 75 hp (1953–1956) Daimler Conquest saloon chassis and running gear had originated in the 1950 Lanchester Fourteen or Leda. The usual Daimler large cruciform chassis had a double wishbone front suspension, with laminated torsion bars, telescopic dampers, and an anti-roll bar, while the rear suspension used leaf springs with telescopic dampers. The Conquest featured automatic chassis lubrication to 21 points, using a pump controlled by exhaust heat.
Cam and peg steering was used, and Girling hydro-mechanical brakes. (Hydro - mechanical = hydraulic front, mechanical rear brakes.) The cars had an 2,642 mm (104 in) wheelbase.