1913 | Daimler TS 38

To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Cliveden House event, 8 July 2025.
Offered Without Reserve | £50,000 - £70,000 GBP

• A fabulous vintage Daimler with one of the earliest-known Salmons bodies
• Believed to have been delivered new to Karachi and retained there until 1982
• Attractive restoration with beautiful colours and equipment
• Veteran Car Club dated with ‘Colonial’-specification, 38 horsepower chassis

Please note this car is offered without registration papers, bidders should satisfy themselves as to registration requirements in their own jurisdiction.


Daimler’s TS38 featured the Knight patent sleeve-valve engine so beloved by connoisseurs of the marque. Four cylinders, displacing 6,282 cc, produced 38 horsepower delivered through a three-speed gearbox. Produced from 1908 to 1913, it was known for its silky smoothness of operation and was, like many Daimlers through the years, favoured by royalty in its home country and otherwise. It was a regal beast in any design, but seldom more than in a formal ‘all-weather’ configuration.

The TS38 offered here was bodied by Salmons & Sons, soon to become a renowned coachbuilder especially known for its cabriolet designs, of which this is an exceptionally early example—something that fascinated the Salmons archivist when prior owners corresponded with him. First registered on 31 January 1913, the Daimler was later exported to India. This likely occurred within a short time period after its completion, as the chassis appears to have been built with a slightly wider-specification ‘Colonial’ track than standard (as noted in the Veteran Car Club dating paperwork decades later) suiting the Indian roads of the period.

In 1982, the car was rediscovered in Karachi, Pakistan and acquired—via intermediaries and with the aid of noted trader Charles A R Howard—by Harry Smith of Barling Magna, Southend-on-Sea in Essex, who returned it to its home country. Its next owner, R H Harris of Dorset, set about undertaking a series of mechanical and cosmetic restoration efforts in the hands of Richard Peskett. These were finished in the early-2000s to a very high standard. Afterwards, the car was dated by the VCC in 2003. This followed much research into its specification, as reflected in further paperwork which, along with correspondence relating to the Peskett restoration, is included within the file. In 2009 it was acquired by Jim Boland for his distinguished collection.

Finished in a rich dark green, the Daimler sports wonderful details throughout. These include CAV electric lighting, controlled from a panel on the dashboard that also incorporates CAV instrumentation as well as an Elliott speedometer, and a Beatonson folding windscreen. The interior is especially attractive and charming, with lush button-tufted leather upholstery and beautiful embroidered door cards and ivory-hued hardware in the rear compartment. Please note, following a period of static display, it is recommended that the car is inspected by a mechanic prior to being driven.

This car fully exhibits why the Daimler was such a regal favourite of the landed gentry—in England, Pakistan, and elsewhere.

Please note this lot has entered the UK on a temporary import bond, which must be cancelled either by exporting the lot outside of the UK on an approved Bill of Lading with supporting customs documentation or by paying the applicable VAT and import duties to have the lot remain in the UK.


To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/ch25/.