V8 Brit shocks on debut at le Centre ouest

The Trophée Classic Centre Ouest rally was contested by 46 teams over 180km of by-roads, and saw an unusual rallying debut for France.

Daimler SP250

‘A French dealer imported this Daimler from Texas, where it had sat in the desert for fifteen years,’ said driver Arthur Morault. ‘My friend Stéphane Guarato bought it from him as a non-running wreck in 2013. It’s an early lhd A-spec example, exported new to the USA in 1959.

‘Being a Texan car the chassis was rust-free, but we took the body off and sand-blasted the chassis to clean it.

‘A full mechanical rebuild was required. My father took 1.5kg of sand out of the gearbox!

‘The engine was tired – it had some serious compression problems and needed a complete rebuild. Fortunately the GRP body was in good condition. My father put 1500 hours plus into its restoration over three years’.

‘The Dart is not the most popular car but it’s the connoisseurs’ choice – it’s a very unusual sight in France.’