1912 Austro-Daimler/Austrian Daimler Touring Victoria

1912 Austro Daimler/Austrian Daimler Touring Victoria

In 1913 contemporary British motoring publications included advertisements for an Austrian Daimler, which to all intents and purposes appears to have been a further extension of the Austrian license into the U.K. It would appear that this car is one of very few, or perhaps the only survivor of that venture.

The car wears a bold brass radiator with Austrian Daimler on it, albeit this is the sole marking with that name and there is no manufacturer's chassis plate to support that.

At first glance, it might be assumed that the powerplant were one of the stock Daimler T-Heads of this era, but closer inspection reveals it to be a rare Wisconsin M-Series behemoth. These famed 5 3/4 by 7 inch, 11.9 liter engines are much coveted, and it is imagined that even with a car of this presence that it would propel it at a considerable pace! That power plant is known to have been in the car when it was purchased for the collection and is configuration and consistent condition with the rest of its surroundings suggests that it may have been present from its early days.

As the radiator alludes to British origins, so too does its high sided bodywork which appears to be entirely consistent with teen era coachwork from companies such as Barker, Mulliner and the like, and while no coachbuilder plaques are present, its floorboards are clearly numbered with the number 5639, suggesting construction by a well-established house. The presence of English CAV headlamps and switchgear for them also seems to tie this into origins from Great Britain.

According to notes in the Bothwell archives, the car was acquired by Lindley Bothwell in the 1960s and was part of an exchange which involved a Rambler car with Ken Manley. Another car that was on occasion used for motion picture decoration, this is in a scene in the 1992 movie Chaplin.

Descriptions and pictures by bonhams