Daimler Twenty-Seven

Daimler DE
1947 Daimler DE 36 limousine landaulet
Overview
Manufacturer	Daimler Company
Parent company	Birmingham Small Arms Company
Production	1946-1953
Assembly	Radford, Coventry, UK
Body and chassis
Class	luxury vehicle
Layout	FR
Body style(s)	as agreed with the coachbuilder
Vehicles	Daimler DE 27 Daimler DE 36 "Straight-Eight"
Related	Daimler DC, Daimler DH
Powertrain
Engine(s)	DE 27: 4.1 L Twenty-seven I6 DE 36: 5.4 L Thirty-six I8
Transmission(s)	4-speed Wilson-type pre-selector
Dimensions
Wheelbase	DE 27: 3,515 mm (138.4 in) DE 36: 3,734 mm (147 in)
Length	DE 27: 5,410 mm (213.0 in) DE 36: 5,486 mm (216.0 in)
Width	DE 27: 1,870 mm (73.625 in) DE 36: 1,867 mm (73.5 in)
Height	DE 27: 1,829 mm (72 in) DE 36:
Curb weight	DE 27: 2,527 kg; 5,572 lb (49.75 long cwt) DE 36: 2,680 kg; 5,908 lb (52.75 long cwt)
Chronology
Predecessor	Daimler Light Straight-Eight Daimler V Straight-Eight
Successor	Daimler DK400

Daimler DE was a series of chassis made by the Daimler Company from 1946 to 1953. DE chassis were the basis for Daimler's largest and most expensive cars at the time. There were two versions: the short-wheelbase DE 27 with the Daimler Twenty-seven six cylinder engine, and the long-wheelbase DE 36, the last Daimler Straight-Eight, with the Thirty-six straight-eight engine. Daimler DEs, especially the DE 36 Straight-Eight, was sold to royalty and heads of state around the world, including British royalty under the royal warrant that Daimler had held since 1900.

The DE chassis was also the basis for the DC ambulance chassis on which coachbuilders Barker and Hooper built five hundred units of the Daimler DC 27 Ambulance. A variant of the DC chassis became the DH chassis, on which fifty DH 27 limousines were built for Daimler Hire.

The DE chassis was designed by Daimler chief engineer C. M. Simpson. It was based on a separate steel frame, which was the conventional practice at the time. This allowed customers to order a rolling chassis and have a body custom-built to their own specifications by a coachbuilder. The side rails of the frame were reinforced by x-braced crossmembers.

The rear wheels were driven through a Hotchkiss drive system modified with control arms linking the rear axle casing to pivot points on the frame located directly above the true pivot of the leaf springs. These arms controlled the lateral movement of the rear axle without distorting the normal action of the springs, and allowed freedom in the vertical and longitudinal directions. Final drive was by hypoid gears, replacing the worm drive that had been used on final drives in Daimler cars since 1910. The rear track was 63 inches (1,600 mm) wide. Tyres were 8.00 x 17 all around.