Daimler Sovereign - Sovereign 420

Sovereign 420

The first Sovereign was a badge-engineered version of the Jaguar 420 saloon, which was itself based on the Jaguar S-Type.

The 420 and Sovereign differed from the S-Type in having a revised four-headlight nose reminiscent of the Jaguar Mark X and a 4.2 litre version of the straight-six XK engine. The main external difference between the 420 and Sovereign was the traditional Daimler fluted radiator grille. More detail of the development of the 420/Sovereign and the ways in which the Sovereign differed from its Jaguar stablemate can be found in the article on the Jaguar 420 and Daimler Sovereign.

There were thoughts of fitting the Sovereign with the Daimler 4½ litre V8 engine as used in the Majestic Major but as this significantly outperformed the Jaguar XK unit and would have led to the Sovereign outgunning the Jaguar 420 the Jaguar hierarchy did not pursue the idea; the Jaguar marque was supposed to be more sporty than the Daimler.

In 1967 the final drive ratio was quietly changed from 3.31:1 to 3.54:1 which led to press complaints about fussier high speed cruising but which improved acceleration times from stand-still within the range of the speeds legal in Britain following the introduction, in December 1965, of a blanket 70 mph (113 km/h) speed limit across the nation's highways.

The front-end styling of the Daimler DS420 limousine introduced in 1968 shared a family resemblance with a Daimler grille mated to a four headlight nose.

The 420/Sovereign range began to be replaced by the Jaguar XJ6 in September 1968. The Jaguar ceased production in December 1968, the Daimler remaining in production until July 1969.