Daimler ‘20’ (Chassis LQ)
(1932-1936)
The new Daimler ‘20’ which succeeded the ‘16/20’ was a classic ‘D back’ design built around an all new chassis (LQ). Introduced for the 1932-33 sales year it was fitted with a trademark sleeve valve engine of 2648 cc, running through the Daimler patented ‘fluid flywheel’ and Wilson pre-selector gearbox.
Announced as a spacious and luxuriously appointed car it was offered as a saloon only; the Daimler ‘25’ meeting the need for smaller limousines. Three variants were offered: Standard, De Luxe and ‘Continental’, the last intended as a sporty tourer with a built in luggage boot.
The new chassis dimensions of 10’ 4” wheelbase and 4’ 8” track were to remain constant for the LQ’s entire production life.
1935 LQ3 with Arthur Mulliner bodywork
1934 LQ3 with bodywork by Arthur Mulliner (club member)
For the 1933/34 sales year the ‘20’ range was extended considerably to include both saloon (LQ2) and limousine (LQ3) series with several variants of each, the breadth of the new range being reflected by the ’20’ having its own dedicated catalogue for both this and the subsequent sales year.
Cabriolet and Sports/Touring models were offered as well as saloons and limousines with a wide choice of coachwork.
​Although both the LQ2 and LQ3 were introduced simultaneously at the annual Autumn show at Olympia production was focussed on the LQ2, probably reflecting the rapidly growing number of Owner/Drivers nationwide. Prospective customers wanting to order one of the new 20 limousines had to contend with a waiting time of around six months and a Daimler Executive reported to the board that this was to blame for the low number of LQ3 orders placed at the show. A number of early LQ2’s were in fact built as limousines by independent Coach Builders suggesting that some Daimler customers were not prepared to wait six months for their Daimler limousine!
This option was conveniently assisted by Daimler’s shrewd decision to utilise the same chassis for both saloon and limousine series cars with the extra space for the rear passengers gained by extending the body forwards with only minor alterations to chassis bracketing thus greatly simplifying production and keeping costs down.
The main mechanical change for 1933/34 was the introduction of a 2678 cc ‘poppet valve’ engine, a version of which had been launched with great success in the new Daimler ‘15’ in 1932. Advances in valve gear design and camshaft profiling meant that the new OHV engines could match the old sleeve valve motors for silence at greatly reduced production and running costs. Otherwise the LQ2 & 3 were essentially similar to their predecessor.
The ‘20’ range continued with little alteration into the 1934/35 sales year and the catalogue for that year is almost identical to the previous year’s offering other than the introduction of a numbering system to identify the individual models.
By early 1935 production of the LQ2 was dropped to clear the way for the entirely new ‘20’ saloon, the E20 which in a break with tradition was introduced and offered from July of that year instead of the traditional September launch at Olympia. It is likely that this new model saloon may have been rushed into production to pick up flagging sales of the somewhat dated looking LQ2.
This view is supported by the introduction in September 1934 of what would now be referred to as a ‘facelift’ model of the LQ2. The update featured changes to the windscreen rake and bonnet length to make it look a little sleeker and more modern as well as tempting hesitant buyers with additional features such as front window quarter lights, trafficators and fold down picnic trays in the backs of the front seats. In any event the LQ2 passed into history leaving the LQ3 to soldier on into 1935/36 as the limousine offering alongside the E20 (Light Twenty) saloon. It was upgraded with a 3317 cc engine and existed in this form briefly as the ‘LQ3/24’ before bowing out to the all new E24 limousine later in 1936.
1934 Model 207 LQ2 1934-35 Facelift
The loss of factory records due to the factory sustaining damage during the 1939-1945 conflict means that exact production figures cannot be accurately stated but the figure of approximately 1,000 units of all models produced from Autumn 1932 to early 1936 is a reasonable estimate.
It is not known whether any sleeve valve LQ’s survive with their original engines but it is extremely unlikely and no more than 15 or so LQ’s exist today in roadworthy condition, the majority of these being LQ3’s.