1932 Daimler Double-Six 40/50 Walter Sport Saloon

Back in 2014 I wrote a popular post titled "Very Long Hoods."  One of the cars shown was a sporty 1931 Daimler V-12 drophead (convertible) coupé.  It seems that there also was a V-12 Daimler with an extremenly long hood that appeared the following year from a different coachbuilder.  That 1932 Daimler Double-Six 40/50 Walter Sport Saloon is today's subject car.  Sources linked below credit the design to H.R. Owen.

Captain Harold Rolfe Owen (1899-1940) was a dealer of luxury automobiles starting in 1932 (Wikipedia entry here) who seems to have had design inluence with coachbuilders such as Gurney Nutting and Walter Martin.  As the links below suggest, the design of today's subject car was either entirely his or, most likely, he provided the concept and details were worked out by coachbuilder staff.

This source states:

"In 1931 Daimler offered a 6.5-litre version of their Double Six 50 known as the Double-Six 40/50.  Our feature car is the very best of these models featuring a Martin Walter Ltd. body designed by H.R. Owens [sic]."

"The imposing proportions of the body were initially penned by H.R. Owens of Gurney Nutting.  He exaggerated an already lengthy hood by fitting an impossibly low windscreen. When combined with oversize wire wheels, the car had massive presence."

"This car was built on chassis number 32382 and is the longest of all the double sixes made.  At 13 feet in length the complex engine could still power the car to 80 mph.  Almost a lesson in over-engineering, the the Double Six used a V12 sleeve valve engine attached to 4-speed Wilson pre-selector transmission."

The Coachbuild website mentions:

"Production of the Daimler Double Six started in 1926 and although the model remained available until 1937, a production figure of as low as 26 is frequently quoted, but other sources mention a figure closer to 75.  All of them were built to meet the special demands of the owners and as a result no two were alike.

"The Double Six in this gallery was commissioned by Herbert Wilcox for his wife and famous film star Anna Neagle.  The car has a very beautiful 'Sport Saloon' body designed by [Captain] H. R. Owen and constructed by Martin Walter [Ltd.].  With a wheelbase of over four metres, it is the largest Double Six ever built."

Some images of this impressive car are from the Gooding auction company, others are from origins presently unknown to me.

Gallery

1931 Daimler Double-Six 50 Drophead Coupe by Corsica
The design of this car surely influenced that of the featured Sport Saloon.  Some background is here.

Now for some photos of the Sport Saloon -- this from a source unknown to me.  Like the drophead coupe is the previous images, this car lacks bumpers so as create a more pure, though less-practical, appearance.

Side view via Gooding auctions.  The hood is extraordinary long, even at a time when Bentleys also featured long hoods.  The motor is located near the center of the hood -- note the access panel's aft cutline, and there is a forward one near the trailing edge of the fender.

Rear quarter view via Gooding.  The passenger compartment greenhouse is rounded at its rear corners, a departure from the angular style of the 1920s.  Spare tires are mounted at the rear rather than on front fenders.  That mounting would have interfered with engine access.  The fenders are near-cycle type and are similar to those of the Corsica-built drophead coupe shown above.

Unknown source view of the front end.  The Daimler ribbed grille frame is less conspicuous than usual, being offset by the size of the car.  Note how low to the ground the body clearance is.

Another front view, this via Gooding.  Unlike the drophead, the hood is higher than the tops of the fenders.  On the other hand, the passenger compartment greenhouse is low.  Given the long, high hood and small windshield, I wonder what the driver's outside visibility would be like.