Club Corner: Daimler & Lanchester (Jaguar) Owners in New Zealand Spare Parts Club

10 April, 2016

The Daimler & Lanchester (Jaguar) Owners in New Zealand Spare Parts Club was founded back in 1971 by Gordon Somerville and the late Laurie Wason, and became an incorporated society in 1971.

Today the club, based in Christchurch, provides parts sales to members only, and has a wide inventory of spare parts, new and used, available in stock for most Daimler/Jaguar motor vehicles from Jaguar Mk1 and XK120 right through to modern Jaguars and Daimlers as well as Lanchester vehicles. The club carries approximately 3500 individual line items, all available ex stock for the above vehicles. The club also caters for more modern X-Type, S-Type, and XJ Jaguars.

The club is run by a group of volunteers, and is open for business and parts orders and information on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8.30am to 1.00pm. The majority of orders ex stock are shipped the same day, with competitive overnight freight rates. The club can also provide hassle-free shipping from overseas for those hard-to-get parts, offering a price advantage for parts supply for more modern vehicles over most local suppliers.

Join the club

If you’re interested in joining one of New Zealand’s largest one-marque car clubs, then join the Daimler & Lanchester (Jaguar) Owners in New Zealand Spare Parts Club.
Visit the website — daimjag.org.nz — for further information and to download a membership application form.

This article originally appeared in New Zealand Classic Car Issue No. 299. You can pick up a print copy or a digital copy of the magazine below:

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The motor car as an art form

12 March, 2026

We have certainly come a long way since the exhibition entitled 8 Automobiles, shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the autumn of 1951, the first exhibition concerned with the aesthetics of motor car design.
It was here that the often-used term ‘rolling sculpture’ was coined by curator Philip C Johnson, director of the department of architecture and design, when he said, “An automobile is a familiar 20th century artefact, and is no less worthy of being judged for its visual appeal than a building or a chair. Automobiles are hollow, rolling sculptures, and their design refinements are fascinating. We have selected cars whose details and basic design suggest that automobiles, besides being America’s most useful objects, could be a source of visual experience more enjoyable than they now are.”

More to the point

6 March, 2026

This Daimler SP252 is so rare, few people know it exists. It’s one of a kind. It’s the only surviving, in fact the only SP252 ever completed; the would-be successor to the SP250 Daimler Dart. It is also the last sports car to have been designed by Jaguar’s legendary founder, Sir William Lyons.
Perhaps one of the original Dart’s biggest problems was it’s somewhat-divisive looks. It certainly went well enough to win fans, although Sir William wasn’t among them. It crushed the opposition in the Bathurst six-hour race, finishing five laps ahead of anyone else, and it was snapped up by police forces in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, as it was the fastest thing on the road.
So you’d think a stunning new body with the magic Lyons touch would have been a surefire success. Why this car never made it into production is still something of a mystery, as the official explanations barely stack up.

Club Corner: Daimler & Lanchester (Jaguar) Owners in New Zealand Spare Parts Club

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