In 1910 the Daimler Company, which had been beset with financial difficulties from the very beginning, was swallowed by the giant Birmingham Small Arms Company. Today BSA is probably best remembered for its magnificent motor cycles, but in those early days the company diversified into car manufacture, building 'small Daimlers' wearing the BSA badge, as well as a short-lived light car known as the Stoneleigh. Daimler thrived under its new owners, spending the First World War engaged in munitions production. After the war it returned to the manufacture of high-quality motor carriages, and it was during this period that some of the most magnificent Daimler power-plants, chassis and coachbuilt bodies were produced. Lanchester, too, was by now turning out highly desirable private cars, including some vast machines which rivalled the likes of Daimler, Rolls-Royce, Hispano-Suiza and Napier. (At one time Lanchester was the most expensive car in the world.) The onslaught of the Depression, however, sent many luxury car-makers to the wall, and in 1931 Lanchester found itself the target of a takeover bid by the BSA group. The resultant merger led to one of the earliest examples of automotive 'badge engineering': Daimler quickly utilised Lanchester's mechanical prowess to enhance its own range of cars, whilst the Lanchester name was destined to appear on a range of cars which were, in all but name and trim details, Daimler lookalikes. World War Two brought more changes in fortune. The BSA marque disappeared once and for all, and Lanchester languished while Daimler turned to wartime production (including the famed 'Dingo' and 'Ferret' Scout Cars). After the war, however, it was Lanchester that led the way. Daimler's 'big' cars were new designs, but the volume-sellers were rehashed versions of prewar designs; the 1946 Lanchester, however, was an all-new 10 hp saloon, and by 1950 a totally new 14 hp saloon had come onto the market. The small car stayed in production for a few years, but the mid-sized car became the basis for Daimler's biggest-selling saloon of all time, the Conquest and Conquest Century range. Not that this helped Lanchester itself; by the mid-fifties the marque was languishing, and by 1956 the name had gone forever. Daimler continued for another few years, finally (and ironically) becoming the target of a takeover bid by Jaguar in 1960, soon thereafter to become a badge-engineered echo of its 'parent' car: the wheel had turned full circle, and the ghosts of Lanchester, circa 1931, had come back to haunt Daimler. The story didn't end there, however. Although they were primarily interested in more manufacturing space, Jaguar's directors recognised the value of the Daimler name, and gave it honoured status in their range of fine cars, through the magnificent XJ Sovereign range to the all-new XJ-40 of today. Sadly, the huge flagship DS-420 Daimler limousine (so beloved of British wedding hire and funeral companies!) has been extinct since the early nineties, but the Daimler name itself lives on. Prior to the demise of the DS-420 a British privateer proposed to market the limousine in the USA as a Lanchester; however, no such revival occurred. Perhaps some wealthy 'fairy godmother' out there will resurrect the marque yet - but then again, after such a proud and distinguished career, maybe it's best to let the old name rest in peace.
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