Mods and Consequences

Daimler 2.5 V8

’If you want more power, the Majestic Major’s 4.5 V8 is the same size as the 2.5’

There aren’t many engines that can carry a car’s appeal on its own, but the Daimler V8 (aka the Turner V8) is certainly one. Not only does it continue to make the otherwise visually challenging SP250 thoroughly exciting, but it makes the Daimler 2.5 V8 one of the most desirable of Jaguar Mk2 derivatives – just consider relative interest in the Jaguar’s own 2.4. Its tiny cylinders, hemi-cylinder head and burbling soundtrack are certainly a charming mix, but not only does it share most of the drawbacks of the Jaguar Mk2 upon which it is based, it’s also a tricky car to tune.

Specialist in Daimler V8-powered cars, Robert Grinter, says: ‘These engines don’t run properly when you mess with them. The V8 doesn’t take kindly to uprated camshafts and you can’t skim much off the head to raise the compression. 95 per cent of the V8 saloons are automatics, too, so you need the smoothness of the stock unit. The original factory balancing wasn’t all that good, though, so we balance the rods, the clutch and the flywheel, etc.’

Of course, if you really do want more power, the 4.5-litre Daimler V8 as fitted in the Majestic Major is the same physical size as the 2.5, and lighter than the 3.8 Mk2’s engine to boot. This would add at least 100bhp and was something Jaguar toyed with in period.

It’s not a straight bolt-in job, however; some of the ancillaries need to be moved and the Major’s gearbox is different

– but it’s not impossible. The most difficult thing will be finding a good engine, because only around 1200 Majestic Majors were made.

Just because getting more power out of the V8 is difficult, doesn’t mean that there’s no way of improving the engine, however. Fitting electronic ignition is a good idea because the Turner V8 has two sets of points – just one is normally enough to cause most classics trouble. It is best to go for an optic system rather than the cheaper magnetic systems, though, which tend to struggle when they have eight cylinders to deal with.

It’s also worth changing the Daimler’s gearing because the cars were obviously designed for a largely pre-motorway Britain. The issue of finding an appropriate bellhousing means that there are no easy solutions when it comes to adding gearboxes with more gears, so many simply lower the axle ratio. Unfortunately, the same issue prevents an easy conversion to a manual gearbox.

Otherwise, owners should look to address the unsophisticated rear end’s handling flaws. With Mk2s having been modified since new, there’s a well-developed parts market when it comes to the components that the Daimler shares with the Jag, including a coil spring conversion kit for the rear, complete with gasfilled dampers. Adding better front shocks and polybushing, is worth considering, and there are many

brake kits to choose from.