Regency DF300/1
Displayed to the press on 26 September and the following week at the Paris Motor Show, it was first shown to the British public at the October 1951 Motor Show. The DF300 model designation was used for right-hand drive and DF301 for left-hand drive. The chassis included a number of new developments from theDF302/3 – Empress Mk IIs and Coupes
A Hooper Empress Mark II was first exhibited at Earls Court in 1952 (chassis 82002). Hooper produced 33 examples, plus one on a standard 3-litre chassis (80002). Power was boosted to 100 bhp at 4,400 rpm by using an aluminium cylinder head and a higher 7.5 to 1 compression ratio. Note that Lady Docker's October 1953 Earls Court Motor Show car ''Silver Flash'' was listed in Hooper records as a 3-litre chassis, but with chassis number 85001. This was a Lanchester Fourteen chassis modified to fit a Daimler 6-cylinder engine.Regency Mark II DF304/5
The revised Regency DF304 labelled Mark II was announced in October 1954. Left-hand-drive cars used the DF305 designation. The new more flowing body was slightly longer with a much longer boot and mudguards and was lower-set. It could now be purchased with a 3½-litre or 4½-litre engine. Again there was a Hooper version, the Empress IIa and III but now also the Sportsman four-light saloon with coachwork by4½-litre chassis
These examples had a chassis designation of DF400 (DF401 for LHD). The 4½-litre engine was offered as an option on the Regency Mark II chassis, but very few were fitted. The car differed from the 3½-litre DF304 in that a 4-speed pre-selector gearbox was fitted with direct drive in 3rd gear and an overdrive 4th gear. In addition, the DF304's Girling hydro-mechanical brakes were replaced with a fully hydraulic system with vacuum assist. After an engine upgrade from 127 to 167 bhp in 1956, the increased torque proved to be too much for the pre-selector gearboxes, so very few 4½-litre cars survived. Plans for deliveries of further 4½-litre chassis were cancelled and most existing cars were recalled and converted to 3½-litre engines. Ultimately, the 4½-litre engine was restricted to the DK400 chassis.Performance
The British ''Motor'' magazine tested a 3468 cc Regency II saloon in 1955 recording a top speed of and acceleration from 0- in 22.7 seconds and a fuel consumption of . The test car cost £2324 including taxes.Commercial
A spacious interior married with "an abundance of polished hardwood, not only for the facia but also for the door cappings, a floor .... covered with thick pile carpet" and the car's driving qualities will have attracted admiration, but purchase tax on cars was high and in 1954 the UK manufacturer-recommended retail price, including tax, for the standard bodied 3½-litre Daimler Regency was £2,324. That price included a heater, but customers requiring a radio to be fitted would need to find another £48. In the same year Jaguar's recommended UK retail price for the similarly sized (and very effectively promoted) Mark VII was £1,680. (Jaguar buyers also received the heater included in the price, though they were obliged to find an extra £50 for a radio.) The price differential is probably enough to explain why relatively few Daimler Regency models found buyers but it should be pointed out that the Daimler was a much more substantial and durable product assembled with much greater care than Jaguars of that same day and aimed at quite different customers.Chassis numbers
The total chassis allocation was 395 units, but as noted not all may have been built. Standard production is thought to be 345 cars, allowing for chassis reallocation when some were fitted with the higher performance engine in late Regency Mark II production. 58 chassis were allocated for specialist coachwork, e.g. Hooper Empress Mark IIa and III. These incorporated a number of minor improvements over the DF304 chassis.Replacing the Mark II
The Regency Mark II proved more successful than the first Regency, but after a short production run of only one year it was superseded in October 1955Details of a new Daimler were announced yesterday. ''The Times'', Friday, Oct 14, 1955; pg. 4; Issue 53351 by the 3½-litre One-O-Four (DF310) with a more powerful engine and various other upgrades. While the top speed of the One-O-Four was tested at 102 mph compared to the Regency's 85 mph, the Regency actually had faster acceleration up to 50 mph. Standing quarter mile times for the One-O-Four were unchanged from the Regency. However when the automatic gearbox became available for the One-O-Four, the standing quarter mile was actually 2 full seconds slower than the Regency.Daimler One-O-Four
Announced in October 1955 the 3½-litre engine was given a new cylinder head and compression ratio of 7.6:1 generating almost 30% more power ( @ 4,400 rpm) to push the same 2-tonne Mk II to 104 m.p.h.High Performance As Part Of The Daimler Tradition. ''The Times'', Tuesday, Jul 10, 1956; pg. 5; Issue 53579. With upgraded brakes and interior, branded with a fluted boss bearing a large D in the centre of its back bumper, it was advertised as the 100 m.p.h. Daimler One-O-Four, when there were no open-road speed limits. The One-O-Four name refers to a prototype reaching the speed of 104 m.p.h. during testing. During 1956 a Borg-Warner fully automatic gearbox became available. A One-O-Four Lady's Model was produced, finding only 49 customers. The special accessories in the Lady's Model inspired by Lady Docker became optional extras the following year. The One-O-Four was eventually replaced by theChassis numbers
One-O-Four Upgrades
Numerous upgrades to the Regency Mark II were incorporated into the Daimler One-O-Four. The following is a summary of the major changes. In addition, many minor changes were introduced.References
;Citations ;Sources * *External links