
Ted Riley Classics
keeping history on the road




For sale on behalf of a customer, this superb 1938 Daimler DB 18
Some of you may remember that I had this car for sale last year, a chap from Aberdeen bought it but unfortunately, he passed away suddenly earlier this year so, the Daimler is now for sale again on behalf of his estate. I know this car quite well now, it is perhaps the best example of a pre-war Daimler that I have ever seen.
It was first registered in Farnham, Surrey to a Mr E Abbot on the 13th of November 1938. It made its way up to the northeast of Scotland in the 1990’s where it was treated to a sympathetic restoration. Since then, HPC 567 has been well looked after and is potentially a very low mileage example at only 11,575 miles on the mileometer. There is a large history file including a buff logbook, maintenance manuals and other useful information.
When I first met the car in late 2024 / early 2025, we carried out a full inspection / mechanical check over & repairs to bring HPC back up to a good usable condition, this included the following…
- New battery
- Engine oil change
- Greased all grease points
- Fitted five new inner tubes & tyres
- Drained out the fuel tank and flushed out the tank and fuel lines
Mechanically it is in good condition, the 2,522cc 6-cylinder pushrod OHV engine which is fed by a single SU carburettor, is in good running order and has been subject to recent servicing. The four speed Wilson pre-selector gearbox with fluid flywheel offers comfortable cruising and faultless gear changes. The wiring has been replaced with a modern equivalent loom, the trafficators have been removed and indicators incorporated into the front and rear side lights as a matter of safety on modern roads. During the check over we did find a few small holes in the offside rear exhaust tail pipe, the car can be inspected on our ramp (subject to availability) to see this more clearly. Apart from that, the underside of the vehicle is in good order.
The bodywork is generally in very good condition all round, the paintwork has aged nicely and comes up well when polished. However, there are some age-related marks here and there, but is certainly very presentable with no signs of corrosion. When new, the car was painted black so at some point it has undergone a colour change to grey, it is not recorded in the cars history and since we have a good history from the 1990’s onwards I would think it was re-painted before then. In any case, the colour change appears to have been done professionally and to an excellent standard. The ash frame appears to be in good condition, there are no signs of rot, all of the doors close perfectly and panel gaps are as they should be.
To summarise, this is a great opportunity to enter quality pre-war car ownership at a modest price. And apart from the exhaust pipe, it is certainly in very good condition.
The asking price is £8995.00.
Viewings by appointment, seeing is believing! We are based near Aberchirder, Aberdeenshire. Delivery can be arranged at the buyer’s expense. I can also assist with shipping worldwide again at the buyer’s cost. Thanks for reading.