by David Finlay (27 Jul 05)

Our recent report that Jaguar was about to reintroduce the Daimler brand has been followed up by official confirmation that the Super Eight model will go on sale in November this year.

Daimler is one of the few surviving makes to have been formed in the 19th Century, but its history is patchy. It was bought by Jaguar in 1960, and used mostly as a way of drawing attention to the more luxurious and expensive models in the Jaguar range. The Super Eight, the first Daimler to be sold in the last three years and the first to be introduced in the last seven, follows this example. At heart it's a long-wheelbase XJ, using the supercharged 400bhp version of the celebrated 4.2-litre Jaguar V8 engine.

It will therefore be very fast, and it will have an enormous amount of space for rear passengers (39 inches of legroom, for example). The second of these features may be more important than the first; effortless power will go down well with customers, but Daimler's emphasis is on luxury. The powered rear seats can be reclined, and they have four-way lumbar adjustment. The front passenger seat can be adjusted from behind to create more room. The rugs are made of lamb's wool. Some models have a multi-media system which allows them to watch television on screens mounted in the front headrests, or to operate their iPods, MP3 players, DVD machines and computer game consoles.

The front half of the car isn't there just for the chauffeur. Owner-drivers sit in a multi-directional powered seat with heating and memory function. Front occupants have access to the touch-screen display which allows them to adjust the audio system, telephone, four-zone climate control and satellite navigation.

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