Docker Daimlers

The Docker Daimlers were cars built for display at the British International Motor Show at Earls Court Exhibition Centre from 1951 to 1955.

In 1948, the year before Sir Bernard Docker's second marriage,[5] he had a car built by Hooper on a DE36 chassis for the 1948 British Motor Show.

[4][6] The headlights and pass lights were in recesses in the front wings, behind Perspex covers held in chrome bezels that were fluted at the top to match the radiator grille.

[1] The gear selectors were extended almost to the rim of the steering wheel for fingertip control,[9] while the speedometer could be switched from miles to kilometres.

[1] One example is owned by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust and is on display at the British Motor Museum in Warwickshire, England.

[11][14] The upholstery and headliners in the rear were made from gold silk brocade woven on a hand loom.

[11][16][note 2] The left cabinet contained a gold and crystal cocktail set, the right cabinet contained a gold and black china tea set with a gold-plated Thermos tea jug, and the linen tablecloth and napkins was kept in the centre.

[18][20] Design elements carried over from the Green Goddess included the flush rear wheel spats on spring-balanced rods and the headlights and pass lights faired into the front wings behind Perspex covers.

[21] The Golden Daimler won its class in the annual coachwork competition held by the Institute of British Carriage and Automobile Manufacturers.

[18] The Golden Daimler was shipped from London for display at the Australian World’s Fair at the Sydney Show-grounds from July 26 to August 4, 1956.

The seating was similar to that of Green Goddess, with a three-passenger front bench and two rear armchairs with folding backs to extend luggage space when not in use.

[25] A tray under the instrument panel held a mirror, a comb, a clothes brush, two silver-topped jars, and a powder compact.

[29] According to a contemporary report in The Motor, Blue Clover was "the most elegant thing at Earls Court" that year.

[31] Two days before the Motor Show, Lady Docker ordered chief designer Osmond Rivers to repaint the body metallic silver.

A shallow vanity drawer under the dashboard contained silver accessories, including a hinge-over mirror, a powder compact, a cigarette case, a lighter, and a clothes brush.

[31][35] The car had a radio, a heating and ventilating unit, an internal shutter to block the glass roof panel, detachable rear wheel spats, a washer system for the one-piece curved windscreen, a demister, and a speedometer marked to 120 mph.

[31] The headlights and pass lights were faired into the front wings in the same manner as Blue Clover or the Gold Car.

[40] Like the previous Docker Daimlers, Stardust had its forward lights recessed into the front wings with a flush Perspex cover over the lights and spats over the rear wheels, and again these spats were held with hinges and spring-balanced arms to hold them out of the way when access to the wheel wells was needed.

[47] Cabinets were in the rear quarters beside the two rear seats; one held cocktail equipment, including cut glass decanters, glasses and thermos jugs, while the other held picnic equipment, including Perspex sandwich boxes, cups, saucers, and linen.

[46][47] A sliding tray under the passenger side of the dashboard held a folding mirror, a clothes brush, a comb, a powder compact, a cigarette case, and a cream jar.

[47] After Bernard Docker was removed from BSA's board of directors, the five show cars went back to Daimler.

Silver Flash was imported from England into the United States in 1966, the owner living in Kansas City, Missouri.

1955 Golden Zebra —the last of the Docker Daimlers
Detail of headlight enclosure and radiator grille
Front of Blue Clover. The plain headlight bezels were similar to those used on the Gold Car.
Interior of Silver Flash , c. 1967
Golden Zebra rear end