Daimler & Lanchester Owners Club
Now running for over five decades
Founded in 1964, the Daimler & Lanchester Owners Club serves a very broad community. Some members still remain from the time when the Daimler brand was in production, even if as an upmarket Jaguar. Always looking for new enthusiasts, though, the club currently has about 1550 members and multiple branches around the world. Its most numerous model is the SP250, or ‘Dart’, of which – despite more than 60 years having passed since it came to market – more than half of the cars built survive.
Daimler’s range was much broader than many drivers today might realise. Having started as an importer of German motors, it became the first maker of cars in the UK in 1897. From 1909 to 1931, it built sleeve-valve engines, these being the quietest cars of the day and much favoured by Royalty. At the opposite end of the spectrum, it has also built tank engines, buses, lorries and military vehicles. Daimler has offered transmissions of all sorts including the much-admired pre-selector at a time when most motors were equipped with crash gearboxes. Lanchesters and rear-wheeldrive BSA cars are also very well represented in the club.
The DLOC issues a 40+ page monthly magazine. It maintains a good presence on the internet, hosting a forum through which members exchange advice on the maintenance and repair of cars. The club advises, too, on the sourcing of difficult-to-find parts. Among other events each and every year, the club mounts a well-attended International Rally – this year’s is taking place in and around York from June 18-21, 2020.
For more information about the club and its activities, simply visit dloc.org.uk.