Introduced at the 1962 London Motor Show, the Daimler 2.5 V6 occupied a precise niche in the British luxury-saloon market: the prestige of the Daimler name on a proven Jaguar Mark 2 bodyshell, but powered by an engine found nowhere else in the range. KK Scale's 1:18 die-cast captures the car in its first-year, export-specification form — left-hand drive, red over brown, exactly as it left the factory for continental European customers.
A Jaguar Body, a Daimler Heart
The Daimler 2.5 V6 shared every panel of its 4,572 mm bodyshell with the Jaguar Mark 2, yet it differed in ways that mattered to its buyers. The fluted Daimler grille, individual bonnet mascot, and fluted boot lid trim strip set it apart visually, while under the bonnet sat Edward Turner's compact 2,548 cc 60-degree V6 — the same engineer behind the legendary Triumph motorcycle engines. With approximately 140 bhp on tap and the option of a Borg-Warner automatic gearbox, the car suited the relaxed, chauffeur-optional motoring that Daimler's clientele expected.
Launch Year and the Export Market
The car debuted at the 1962 London Motor Show and remained in production until 1969. From 1967 the model was officially redesignated the Daimler 250 V6, meaning a 1962 example represents the original launch specification — before any nomenclature revision. The left-hand-drive configuration on this particular version reflects the cars exported to continental Europe, where the Daimler name carried considerable cachet in the 1960s. Red coachwork paired with a brown leather interior was a factory-available combination consistent with the marque's traditional luxury positioning.
KK Scale Die-Cast in 1:18
KK Scale has produced this replica in die-cast metal at 1:18, a format that allows the Daimler-specific exterior details — fluted grille, mascot, boot trim — to be rendered with genuine clarity. The red and brown colour scheme is carried through bodywork and interior in a pairing that anchors the model firmly in 1960s British luxury. The LHD layout is correctly reproduced, distinguishing it from any right-hand-drive version of the same casting and making it a precise record of the export-market car rather than a generic saloon replica.
Placing It in a Collection
The 1962 Daimler 2.5 V6 in 1:18 sits naturally alongside a Jaguar Mark 2 — same bodyshell, contrasting powertrain philosophy — or with the Daimler V8-250 that succeeded it. A shelf devoted to early-1960s British saloons, or one exploring the Jaguar-Daimler relationship after the 1960 acquisition, would find this model an intellectually coherent and visually distinctive addition. Its LHD specification also makes it the logical centrepiece for a collection focused on British exports to the European continent.
