Larry Ligas' 1961 Daimler SP250 Vintage Racecar
Owner: Larry LigasCity: Pinellas Park, Florida
Model: 1961 Daimler SP250
Engine: Daimler 2.5L V8
Restored and race prepared by: Predator Racing
The First Cut is the Deepest
Larry Ligas was just fifteen years old in 1974 when he and his father decided to purchase a
1961 Daimler SP250 for the princely sum of $200. The seller's documents weren't quite in order,
so the Ligas men put down $100 and took possession with agreement that they'd pay the
remaining $100 upon receipt of the car's title. The car needed to be repaired and restored,
and anyhow Larry wasn't quite driving age. With youthful enthusiasm, Larry dug right into
the restoration project and things came together quickly, but the title was still missing as
the restoration neared completion. Larry was forced into the six-month process of having a
replacement title issued. There was a plus side to this: Larry learned the complete
ownership history of his car and that all four previous owners had lived in St. Petersburg.
Larry drove his Daimler SP250 throughout his high school years. He grew up with it. It
carried him on dates while he romanced his future wife. Although other Daimlers and countless
Jaguars have come and gone from the family's garage, Larry kept hold of his venerable SP250
and it remains a sentimental favorite.
In 1998, Larry and business partner David Hinton founded Predator Performance Racing Inc.
of Largo, Florida. Predator grew into one of the nation's premier Jaguar performance
and race preparation shops and completed many high-end Jaguar restorations.
Larry's idea of turning his first SP250 into a vintage racecar originated right about the
same time Predator Performance was founded, but of course client cars always came first.
The Daimler's preparation waited on the back burner until about two years ago.
We photographed Larry's Daimler SP250 on its third race weekend, during the 2012 "Mitty"
at Road Atlanta.
Daimler Motor Company Limited was an independent British car manufacturer from 1896 through 1959.
Daimler was acquired by Jaguar Cars Limited in 1960. The Daimler brand has been applied to limited
production Jaguar luxury cars as recently as late-2009. In its long history, Daimler only built
one sports car model: 2,648 Daimler SP250s were built between 1959 and mid-year 1964.
Daimler SP250 production spanned three distinct series of cars. Early cars were plagued with
frame stiffness issues. As their frames flexed, so did their fiberglass bodies and there were
many reports of doors flying open. Shortly after purchasing the Daimler Motor Company Ltd.,
Jaguar announced a recall and also made a running change in production. This change phased-in
during April 1961. In addition to stiffer frames, Series B Daimler SP250s also came with more
robust rear axles. Most, but not all of the Series A Daimler SP250 frames were reinforced during
the recall, but Larry's car (chassis number 194) was somehow missed. Its chassis wasn't stiffened
until Predator Performance began preparing it for vintage racing.
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Features and Specifications
| Engine: | original numbers-matching Daimler 2.5L V8 rebuilt by Ted Wenz.
Original crankshaft.
Ross Racing forged pistons.
Crower connecting rods.
Approximately 12:1 static compression ratio.
Thinner valve stems to help flow.
ATI Super Damper harmonic balancer, modified to suit the Daimler engine.
Four Weber 44IDF two-barrel carburetors mounted on custom fabricated intake manifolds.
Mallory magnetic pick-up breakerless electronic distributor, modified to suit the Daimler engine.
MSD Blaster 2 ignition coil.
MSD 8.5mm Super spark plug wires.
MSD6AL capacitive discharge ignition system.
Dry sump lubrication system.
Weaver Brothers three-stage dry sump oil pump.
Peterson Fluid Systems dry sump oil tank.
Original Daimler oilpan, modified with windage tray and two scavange pick-ups.
K&N HP-3001 oil filter.
Remote mount.
Moroso breather bottle.
|
| Cooling: | custom fabricated AFCO dual-pass crossflow aluminum radiator.
Custom fabricated aluminum header tank.
Mocal 25-row oil cooler.
|
| Exhaust: | custom fabricated stainless steel 2-stage step-up four-into-one headers.
Y-pipe.
Dr Gas "Boom Tube" exhaust tip.
|
| Transmission: | Jerico Performance Products dog ring four-speed gearbox with lightweight "qualifying" gears.
5.5" twin-disk clutch.
Custom flywheel.
|
| Rear axle: | Austin Healey 3000 axle housing.
3.909:1 rear axle ratio.
Phantom Grip limited slip differential.
|
| Front Susp.: | stock wishbones, except with lower arms modified to mate with coilover shock absorbers.
Nylon control arm bushes.
HAL/QA1 double-adjustable coilover shock absorbers.
AFCO 2 5/8" diameter coil springs.
Speedway Engineering modular anti-sway bar.
Converted to rack and pinion steering.
Standard hubs, re-drilled from 4x4" to 5x4" bolt pattern.
|
| Rear Susp.: | original semi-elliptic leaf springs, now mounted on sliders instead of shackles at the rear.
QA1 telescopic shock absorbers.
Watts linkage, with links made by AFCO.
|
| Brakes: | (master) dual CNC 3/4" bore master cylinders with bias bar and TB&C remote bias adjustment knob. (front) Brembo (Porche 944 front) four piston calipers with Coleman vented rotors. (rear) Brembo (Porche 944 rear) four piston calipers with Coleman vented rotors. |
| Wheels/Tires: | American Racing Torq Thrust II aluminum wheels, with a Ford 5-bolt x 4" bolt pattern.
Hoosier T.D. S 25.5/8.5/15 bias ply racing tires.
|
| Electrical: | Optima red top battery.
Denso polished 93mm alternator.
Quarter Master reverse-mount gear reduction starter motor
(Chevrolet spec.)
Manual reset circuit breakers on ignition, fuel pump, and headlight circuits.
|
| Instruments: | (left to right)
Auto-Meter Sport-Comp water temperature gauge (120-240F),
oil temperature gauge (140-280F), and
oil pressure gauge (0-100psi),
Auto-Meter Sport-Comp Monster tachometer (0-10,000rpm) with shift-light controller.
Auto-Meter Sport-Comp miniature voltmeter (0-18V).
|
| Fuel System: | Fuel Safe Systems EC112 twelve gallon fuel cell.
Holley "Blue" 110gph electric fuel pump.
Holley adjustable fuel pressure regulator.
|
| Safety Eqmt: | Sparco steering wheel.
Schroth Racing six point safety harness.
Sparco Pro 2000 fiberglass racing seat.
SafeCraft centralized fire suppression system.
|
| Weight: | almost exactly 2000 pounds, wet.
|
| Racing Class: | HSR "2H".
|
Engine Installation
The car's original (numbers-matching) Daimler 2.5L V8 engine has been rebuilt by Ted Wenz.
These engines feature a 3.0" (76.2mm) cylinder bore and a 2.8" (69.85mm) piston stroke.
Stock compression ratio was only ~8.2:1, but this one has been increased to ~12:1.
As currently set-up, this engine is producing approximately 245bhp.
Daimler's V8 engines featured aluminum cylinder heads with hemispherical combustion chambers.
Iron engine blocks with pushrod operated lifters were quite conventional, and at 419 pounds
(not including flywheel) these weren't especially lightweight engines by any standard.
Four Weber 44IDF two-barrel carburetors mounted on custom fabricated intake manifolds.
The base of each carburetor is stamped "44 IDF 81" which equates to Weber part number 18990.035.
44 is the diameter of the thottle plate. The IDF series are a two barrel synchronous downdraft design
with central float chambers, diaphragm type accelerator pumps and ball bearing throttle shafts.
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Holley adjustable fuel pressure regulator.
Dual CNC 3/4" bore brake master cylinders.
Mallory magnetic pick-up breakerless electronic distributor, part number 5048201H. Note:
this is Mallory's small block Chevy spec alternator, modified to fit the Daimler engine.
MSD6AL capacitive discharge ignition module, with 7400rpm rev limiter chip installed.
ATI Super Damper harmonic balancer. Note: this is ATI's small block Ford spec damper,
except with its keyway slot widened to mate with the Daimler crankshaft.
Polished 93mm Denso alternator.
Larry says this custom AFCO dual-pass crossflow aluminum radiator may be overkill.
So far, he has observed that his water temperature seems to run at a consistant 150°F.
MSD Blaster 2 ignition coil.
737-0255 - Made by: The Daimler Co. Ltd., Coventry, England
Provision British Patent 18019/57, U.S.A. Serial No. 778,705, and Foreign Patent Pending
Peterson Fluid Systems 6" diameter dry sump oil tank.
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Mocal Oil Control Systems.
Larry says his Mocal 25-row oil cooler keeps the oil at a consistant 210°F.
Weaver Brothers three-stage oil pump for the dry sump lubrication system.
Larry fabricated these stainless steel, 2-stage step-up, four-into-one headers. They're
designed to bolt onto the cylinder heads before the heads are mated to the engine block.
Fuel Safe Systems EC112 12-gallon fuel cell measures 20.375" X 17.625" X 9.375".
Holley "Blue" 110gph electric fuel pump.
Optima red top battery.
Front Suspension, etc.
These front wishbones are essentially stock, except with specially fabricated spring pans
installed to accommodate coilover shock absorbers. Also, they're mounted on Nylon bushings.
AFCO 2 5/8" diameter springs slip into the Daimler's stock spring pockets, but at their lower
end they mate to the threaded perchs of HAL/QA1 double-adjustable coilover shock absorbers.
The center section of this Speedway Engineering modular anti-sway bar slid right into an original
tubular crossmember. No bushings, bearings, or pillow blocks required.
One of the first changes Larry made for racing was conversion to rack and pinion steering.
But what model car donated the rack? We're not sure.
Larry likes the Daimler's stock front end geometry, so he hasn't altered caster, camber, etc.
In this view you can see the camber adjustment shims, and you can also see Brembo four piston
brake calipers from a Porsche 944 donor car Larry uses with Coleman vented rotors.
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Rear Suspension
Daimler SP250s feature under-slung frames and they don't offer a great deal of rear axle travel.
This example is on its third rear axle. The original Series A axle suffered a sheared stub axle
quite early on. A previous owner installed a Triumph TR3 axle, but it was really too narrow for
the car. Larry installed an Austin Healey 3000 axle about thirty years ago, and is still using it.
All Daimler SP250s were equipped with four wheel disk brakes, so Larry installed disk brakes on this
Healey axle with Brembo calipers from the rear of a Porsche 944. Billet aluminum adapter hubs were
custom made to convert the Healey axle to a Ford 5-lug bolt pattern.
Lever shock absorbers have been replaced with QA1 telescopic shocks. In 38 years of ownership, the
original shock absorber installation proved to be one of the car's weak links. They to wallow out
their mounting holes. These shock absorbers are set much stiffer than original.
Larry's Daimler SP250 is still running on its standard equipment, original rear springs.
The rear ends of the leaf springs are mounted on sliders now, rather than on spring shackles.
Custom Watt's linkage mechanism, with links made by AFCO. Larry says it works real nice.
The Watt's link pivots on a vertical pin, below and attached to the axle. Its mounting height
defines the rear suspension's instantaneous roll center. There's no rear anti-sway bar.
Interior
Sparco suede-wrapped, D-shaped steering wheel.
Behind the steering wheel: TB&C labeled remote brake bias adjustment knob.
(Tilton Brake and Controls is the brake division of Tilton Engineering.)
Auto-Meter Sport-Comp water temperature, oil temperature, and oil pressure gauges. Auto-Meter
Sport-Comp "Monster" tachometer with shift-light controller. Auto-Meter Sport-Comp miniature voltmeter.
Sparco's Pro 2000 fiberglass racing seat weighs 19.7 pounds and is FIA approved.
It's also available in a carbon fiber version which weighs 13.7 pounds.
Schroth Racing six point safety harness.
Top row: kill switch knob and fire system pull cable. Bottom row, left to right: starter push-button switch,
ignition switch, fuel pump switch, headlight switch, and running light switch. Push-button type manual
reset circuit breakers are mounted next to the ignition, fuel pump, and headlight switches.
This gear shifter mates to a Jerico Performance Products four speed dog-ring gearbox.
Original Daimler brake pedal assembly has been modified to accommodate dual master cylinders,
and a Tilton brake bias adjustment mechanism has been welded into the original brake pedal.
Foreground: remotely mounted K&N HP-3001 oil filter installed with Seals-It pass-through seals.
Background: the Peterson Fluid Systems engine oil reservoir extends down to the floorboard for a
total oil capacity of 2.5 gallons. Peterson manufactures dry sump oil tanks with various diameter
and length dimensions. Generally, taller tanks are more effective at de-aeration of crankcase oil.
Although richly appointed in some respects, adjustable steering columns and windscreen washers weren't
provided on the Daimler SP250 model until "B-spec" production commenced in April 1961. Heaters
weren't standard equipment until "C-spec" production commenced in April 1963. (Larry's SP250
was delivered from the factory with an optional-equipment heater.)
Removeable rearward roll-cage braces.
A well-crafted roll structure dramatically enhances the car's chassis strength and stiffness.
Exterior
We enjoyed watching Larry race his SP250 at the 2012 Mitty at Road Atlanta, where his
best lap was 1:45.757, for an average of 86.5mph over the challenging 2.54 mile circuit.
He finished fourth place overall and second place in his class, in a field of 52 cars.
The 2012 Mitty was Larry's third race in his newly completed Daimler SP250 racecar.
Larry Ligas and business partner Dave Hinton operate Predator Performance. Located in Largo
Florida, Predator Performance specializes in vintage Jaguar performance and restoration.
Daimler was struggling in the late 1950s. They decided to develop a sports car for the North
American market. Three key features: V8 engine, fiberglass body, and tailfins. However,
bumpers were an afterthought. Daimler SP250s came without bumpers until April 1961.
Daimler showed their brand new sports car at The New York Auto Show in April 1959, it was badged
as a "Dart". Chrysler's Dodge division had used the name Dart on a show car in 1957, and in 1959
they were preparing to announce their new compact sedan. It launched as a 1960 model. Result?
Daimler dropped the name Dart for North American marketing, and used SP250 instead. In 1960,
Jaguar Cars Ltd. acquired a controlling interest in the Daimler Motor Company Ltd.
Lucas tripod headlamps.
Swiveling bonnet hold-down clips.
Bonnet hinge, with linch pin to facilitate removal.
Larry made molds off the Daimler's original fiberglass bonnet and boot lid, and then created
the new lighter-weight fiberglass panels you see here. This SP250 racecar weighs in at 2000#
(with ~5 gallons of fuel). According to published reports, stock Daimler SP250s weighed ~2240#.
Hidden bonnet hold-down.
Daimler 2.5L V8 engines probably aren't as scarce as you'd expect. At least 20,268 of the
little V8 engines were produced between 1959 and 1969. In addition to the 2,648 used in
Daimler SP250 sports cars, 17,620 2.5L V8 engines were installed in Daimler saloons.
Between 1959 and 1968, Daimler also produced at least 2,044 cars with a similar but larger V8.
Daimler's 4.5L V8 featured a 0.8" larger cylinder bore (3.8") and a 0.4" longer stroke (2.8").
Custom low-profile Perspex wind screen.
SPA Design center mirror.
Talbot-style chrome bullet mirror.
Dr Gas "Boom Tube" exhaust tip.
Daimler SP250 fuel filler cap.
Push off.
The signature of pin-striper Demetrius von Hentschel, signed October 2011.
Daimler SP250 tail lamps.
Ready to race!
American Racing Torq Thrust II aluminum wheels, with a Ford 5-bolt x 4" bolt pattern.
Daimler SP250s originally came with 4x4" hubs.
Hoosier T.D. "S" bias-ply racing tires. The S stands for stiff sidewall. Custom billet aluminum
hub adapters were made to convert the Healey axle from 5x5" to 5x4" wheel lug pattern.
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All photos are from April 28-29, 2012 when we viewed the car at "The Mitty" at Road Atlanta in Georgia.
All photos by Curtis Jacobson for BritishRaceCar.com, copyright 2012.
All rights reserved.
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