Daimler Conquest

The standard 1953 Conquest used a straight-six engine developed from the inline-four engine used in Lanchester's Fourteen and Leda models. The engine was made from cast iron and had a single Zenith carburettor and a compression ratio of 6.6:1. With a bore of 76.2 mm (3.00 in) and a stroke of 88.9 mm (3.50 in), the engine displaced 2,433 cc (2.433 L; 148.5 cu in) and delivered 75 bhp (56 kW).

The 1954 Conquest Century model had an alloy head with larger valves, higher compression, high lift cams, and twin SU carburettors.[3] These modifications raised the power to 100 bhp (75 kW) at 4400 rpm.[4][5]

1954–1955 Daimler Conquest Century drophead coupé. Hood power-assisted from the de ville position shown.

1955–1957 Daimler drophead coupé

The Conquest's engine produced 75 hp (56 kW) at 4000 rpm, and 124 lb⋅ft (168 N⋅m) of torque at 2000 rpm. In Century form the dry liner, pushrod engine with its balanced crank and large water jacket, delivered 100 hp (75 kW) at 4000 rpm, and 130 lb⋅ft (176 N⋅m) of torque at 2400 rpm. A Daimler four-speed preselector gearbox with "fluid flywheel" was used.

The Saloon had steel bodies weighing 1,397 kg (3,080 lb) (Conquest: 81 mph (130 km/h), 0-60 mph: 20.4 seconds. Conquest Century: 90 mph (140 km/h)).

The open two-seater Roadster had an aluminium body, except for the bonnet, and aluminium castings were used instead of a traditional timber frame. The Roadster pioneered the Century specification of the Conquest engine, though when it debuted in the Roadster, it was said to produce just 90 bhp. (100 mph, 0-60 mph: 14.5 seconds, 25.5 cwt (1300 kg))

The 4-seater drophead coupé had a powered roof folding mechanism and shared few body parts with the Roadster. (87 mph (140 km/h)), 0-60 mph: 16.3 seconds)

The New Drophead had steel to the B-pillars, and alloy from there back, apart from steel inner rear guards. (89 mph (143 km/h)), 0-60 mph: 19.7 seconds)

The lighter Roadster was slightly taller geared; while the heavier New Drophead also was slightly lower geared. Other differences to the Conquest saloon (1) include 1⁄2-inch-wider (13 mm) brakes, and steering that was 2½ turns lock-to-lock instead of 3¼.[3]

A saloon tested by The Motor magazine in 1953 had a top speed of 81.6 mph (131.3 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 24.3 seconds. A fuel consumption of 20.3 miles per imperial gallon (13.9 L/100 km; 16.9 mpg_‑US) was recorded. The test car cost £1511 including taxes.[2]

The Conquest saloon was released to the public in 1953 as a replacement for the Daimler Consort, but was shorter and lighter, with better performance. The Daimler Conquest was meant to be an affordable Daimler, priced at £1066. (That price may well be linked to the name Conquest.) It was pedigree with pace, at a reasonable price. They still had luxurious, well-appointed traditional wood-grain and leather interiors. Actual construction was by another BSA subsidiary, 'Carbodies'.

The open 2-seater Conquest Roadster was first shown to the public[11] at the Motor Show in 1953 with the tuned engine later known as the Century engine. The Roadster was not available to the public till 1954.

The Daimler Conquest Century, released in 1954[4] was the best seller of the range with 4818 of them produced. A hundred-horsepower, hence the Century name.

The Conquest Roadster was dropped from production in 1955. The dropheads had outsold them by over 3:1. Then a new drophead 4-seater and a drophead coupé version of the 2-seater Roadster were introduced at the 1955 Motor Show. This Mark II Conquest Roadster drophead coupé had a sideways-facing single rear seat, making the car a 2- or 3-seater and with wind-up side windows in place of the clip-on side-curtains of the continuing Mark II open 2-seater Conquest Roadster.

Two of the roadsters, at least, were coach-built as fixed head coupés.[12]

There is one fibreglass new drophead, and one fibreglass fixed head coupé (with a Hillman Minx Californian three piece rear window)

One-offs seem to have been mostly done on Roadster allocated chassis, so there may have been even fewer roadsters built than officially indicated.

In October 1956,[13] Conquest Century buyers were offered the choice of an automatic transmission or the traditional preselector system. Time was changing gear. Preselector gearboxes faded away as modern automatic transmissions took their place. Currency restrictions had meant that until Borg-Warner built a British plant, automatic transmissions were only available on export cars.

• 4568 Daimler Conquest Saloons (1)
• 4818 Conquest Century Saloons (1)
• 65 Conquest Roadsters, (3)
• 234 Conquest Century Drophead Coupés, (2)
• 54 Conquest Century New Drophead Coupés (3) (A.K.A. the Mark II)[3]

In August 1956, a press release[17] endeavoured to relieve the workforce's belief all production was to stop. In the chairman's speech to the November 1958 shareholders' AGM he advised the only cars made in the year ended 31 July 1958 were the 3½ and 4½ litre models

Useful for disambiguation

• 1953 sales brochure; Out of pedigree comes pace. The new Daimler Conquest, top class car in the medium price field scroll down
• 1956 sales brochure; Get there swifter safer fresher - Drive Daimler scroll down
• Mark II Conquest with horn grilles
• Roadster without its clip-on sidescreens for weather protection
• Ad for full range, Punch May 5, 1954