Only an estimated 49 examples of the 3-litre Regency chassis were made because demand for new cars collapsed just weeks after its introduction.

The engine was moved well forward, the ground clearance increased by one inch and the chassis side members lowered.

[5] The shape of the standard Barker saloon body closely resembled the much smaller Lanchester Fourteen, except that the headlights were fitted into the mudguards in the same position as the Daimler Consort.

All new car sales collapsed in 1952 while the nation waited for the removal of a "temporarily" increased purchase tax, finally eased in April 1953.

Power was boosted to 100 bhp at 4,400 rpm by using an aluminium cylinder head and a higher 7.5 to 1 compression ratio.

Again there was a Hooper version, the Empress IIa and III but now also the Sportsman four-light saloon with coachwork by Mulliners (Birmingham).

[12] The (at first only) 4½-litre Sportsman with three-piece wrap-around rear window and extra interior luxury features was announced a few days later[13] The revised chassis was again made of box section steel and was cruciform braced.

[1] Brakes were Girling hydro-mechanical – hydraulic at front, mechanical to the rear – as was standard Daimler practice at that time on the Consort, Conquest and Lanchester Fourteen.

In addition, the DF304's Girling hydro-mechanical brakes were replaced with a fully hydraulic system with vacuum assist.

[16] After an engine upgrade from 127 to 167 bhp in 1956, the increased torque proved to be too much for the pre-selector gearboxes, so very few 4½-litre cars survived.

[1] A spacious interior married with "an abundance of polished hardwood, not only for the facia but also for the door cappings, a floor .... covered with thick pile carpet" and the car's driving qualities will have attracted admiration, but purchase tax on cars was high and in 1954 the UK manufacturer-recommended retail price, including tax, for the standard bodied 3½-litre Daimler Regency was £2,324.

[19] In the same year Jaguar's recommended UK retail price for the similarly sized (and very effectively promoted) Mark VII was £1,680.

However, when the automatic gearbox became available for the One-O-Four, the standing quarter mile was actually 2 full seconds slower than the Regency.

[26] Announced in October 1955[23] the 3½-litre engine was given a new cylinder head and compression ratio of 7.6:1 generating almost 30% more power (137 bhp (102 kW; 139 PS) @ 4,400 rpm) to push the same 2-tonne Mk II to 104 m.p.h.

[27] With upgraded brakes and interior, branded with a fluted boss bearing a large D in the centre of its back bumper, it was advertised as the 100 m.p.h.