This car was donated to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust in 1985 by the insurance company CT Bowring who had bought the car in February 1977 in order to obtain the registration mark CTB 1.

The car underwent a major restoration whilst in Bowring’s care with the monobloc engine being rebuilt by Masons of Edmonton, the brakes and pre-selector gearbox overhauled and the paintwork and interior refurbished by McArdle Coach Works of Park Royal.

The Daimler E20 was manufactured between 1935 and 1939. It offered the choice of coachbuilt Saloon, Sports Saloon, Fixed Head Coupe and Drop Head Coupe bodies on a notably stiff box section chassis that featured integral lubrication and jacking systems.

The model was powered by an OHV straight-six engine of 2,565 cc with output of 19.3 HP – sufficient for a top speed of almost 70 mph. This was mated to a four-speed pre-selector gearbox via Daimler’s patented fluid flywheel. Suspension was by semi-elliptic springs and beam axles all round and braking by Girling servo-assisted drums.

The total production of E20s was some 873, of which around 35 are known to have survived, making it a rare car today.