THE STORY The Daimler Majestic Major DQ450 was a large luxury saloon produced in Coventry, England between November 1960 and 1968. Only 2,044 examples were built.
These were opulent, hand-built vehicles kitted out internally with burr walnut, leather trim and thick pile carpet. They were a wide car for their time - delightfully spacious, wonderfully comfortable and exceptionally well equipped.
Impressive performance was provided by a 4.6 litre Hemi V8 engine that put out 220 HP and had a top speed of 197 kmph. These cars could embarrass many sports cars of the era.
Daimler fitted an imported 3-speed Borg-Warner 250M automatic transmission, power steering and Dunlop's power disc brakes to all four wheels. This combination made the Major mechanically advanced for its time.
Motor Sport magazine described the Major as having ``sports car performance” and they were regarded as a sports-saloons - stable directionally at high speeds thanks to their fantastic engineering.
External differences for the Major vs the standard Majestic included a “D” motif on top of the bonnet, cast-in V symbols on the ventilation air intakes, six inches added to the length of the car (longer boot) and sporty twin exhaust pipes.
Owners had the option of ordering the front seat as a bench or as individual adjustable seats.
THE CAR This beautiful Daimler Majestic Major is finished in Dark Blue with Beige leather interior and Tan carpets. Showing 31,746 miles on the odometer, the current owners purchased it in 2005 and have travelled around 50,000 miles during their ownership.
Between 2006 and 2018, the car was used extensively as a chauffeur-driven wedding vehicle and was also used for wine tours in the Clare Valley, South Australia.
In 2005 the interior was re-upholstered and the body repaired and re-painted ready for commercial use. In 2015 the engine was fully rebuilt using an engine from an earlier vehicle that was shipped from Sydney. The work was completed by Milton Engineers in Adelaide.
Since 2018, the car has since reverted to private use and participated in four National Daimler rallies in SA, NSW, and Victoria.
This car is in sound mechanical condition and runs well with excellent top-end power. They were built for the new motorways in England and high-speed motoring. It has been regularly driven on country roads and interstate.
The interior is in fantastic condition with the leather seats, door cards, walnut dash and trim all in excellent condition.
Externally, there are certain areas that could benefit from some cosmetic love.
New tyres were fitted in late 2025.
It is believed this car was the last one imported into Australia in late 1967 and belonged to John Martin's Department Store in Adelaide. It was a chauffeur driven vehicle for Sir Edward Hayward the owner of the store.
There is an original logbook on hand documenting the first service performed by the delivery dealers - Bryson Motors of Melbourne. There is also a spare parts catalogue and service manual.
According to the records of the Daimler & Lanchester Club, this car is believed there are only 9 Majestic Majors on the road in Australia.
