Daimler Majestic
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| Daimler Majestic | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Daimler Motor Company |
| Production | 1958–1962 1490 produced |
| Predecessor | Daimler 104 |
| Successor | Daimler Majestic Major |
| Class | Executive |
| Body style | Four door Saloon |
| Engine | 3.8 litre in-line 6 |
| Transmission | automatic |
| Wheelbase | 114 inches 2.89 m |
| Length | 202 inches 5.13 m |
| Width | 73 inches 1.85 m |
The Daimler Majestic 101 was introduced in 1958 and was in production until 1962. The six cylinder, four door saloon, with new Borg Warner automatic transmission, power steering and four-wheel disc brakes, vacuum-servo assisted, was very mechanically advanced for its time, but it had an outdated heavy body and engine with separate chassis which kept the car's mass well above more modern designs and made it difficult to manouvre, despite the modern steering. The styling was already somewhat outdated when the car appeared and became increasingly dated as lighter bodies with monocoque construction appeared during the Majestic's production run.
[edit] Construction
Like all previous postwar Daimlers, the "Majestic" was designed around a massive cruciform-braced box-section chassis equipped with coil-sprung independent front suspension, with a well located 'live' rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs. Four-wheel disc brakes were regarded as a first for a British production car. The engine was an inline six of 3.8 litres (3794 cc), based on previous Daimler sixes with pushrod operated overhead valves and retaining the 107.95 millimetre (4.25 inch) stroke, but with the bore increased to 86.36 millimetres (3.4 inches) from the 82.55 millimetres (3.25 inches) of the 104, giving a power output of over 140 brake horsepower and a maximum speed of around 180km/h (112mph).
The styling of the Majestic was similar to, but wider and with smoother lines than the short lived 104 model it replaced. The body was massive and the doors were quite high with narrow windows and a rounded rear window. There were two small headlamps at each end on the front side and two fog lamps just above low-set bumpers. There were plain disc wheels.
[edit] Notable successor
The Daimler Majestic was soon overshadowed by the Daimler Majestic Major, using the same body, but with a new 4.5 litre hemi-head V8 engine introduced in 1959, even though production continued, side by side till 1962. It is notable that, though produced for a shorter period, significantly more examples of the six-cylinder model were produced than of the latterly better-known "Major".
