Based on these pleasant experiences, Mr Vanik brought his car to Balatonfüred this year, and although I admired it, I was only really excited when he told me about the car's history. Of course, I couldn't resist sitting in the very seats where Diana and Prince Charles had once sat. I leaned back in the comfortable rear-bench, which offered a comfort superior to a middle-class sofa, and tried to travel back in time. Yes, to 1987, which wasn't too difficult for me, as I was only a few years younger than Diana at the time. It must be said that it was a different world back then, so I wouldn't have had a chance at anything like today. But the royal couple also looked different; they seemed like a happy family, and no one suspected that their relationship would deteriorate and that Diana, when the family set off for Balmoral in the DS420, had only ten years left to live. Perhaps she would have better buckled up in the Mercedes, as the bodyguard in the passenger seat had done because he was obliged to...

However, the car is still there, and after stretching out on the rear bench, which not only has excellent suspension but also such a large interior height and legroom that even a basketball player can comfortably accommodate his above-average limbs, or, as was often the case, you can also sit comfortably with a hat on.

At the same time, I was curious to know what it would be like to sit in the limousine not as a ruler but as an ordinary worker, so I asked Mr Vanik if I could sit in the driver's seat. Once I had taken my seat, I immediately noticed that many details looked familiar, especially the automatic transmission gear lever and numerous buttons and switches. This is no coincidence, as the car is Jaguar-based. Of course, not only the engine, transmission and chassis were carried over, but also some of the controls.

It goes without saying that the Jaguar XK, with its original inline six-cylinder engine, which was still equipped with a carburettor in 1987, springs to life at the touch of a button: press the brake, move the selector lever slightly to the left and then back into D, and you're ready to go. Well, 13 kilograms per horsepower is not exactly light, so you can't say that the DS420 tears up the tarmac; it drives more leisurely or even elegantly. Incidentally, this applies to almost everything. The steering wheel is easy to turn, which is necessary when you want to turn this almost six-metre-long vehicle with a wheelbase of three and a half metres in a confined space. Fast corners are not its thing; it's more about smooth, dignified gliding, giving you the feeling that it could drive you to the end of the world. The suspension is comfortable, not least thanks to the 235/70R15 balloon tyres, complemented by the softness of the seats.

I didn't dare ask how much the test drive had cost, because although it wasn't long, fuel consumption of 20 litres in city traffic means that almost every metre can be calculated. But since we're on the subject of finances, I asked the owner what such a car is worth.

Text frame: Model history in brief Daimler DS420
The Daimler DS420, better known as the Daimler Limousine, was introduced in 1968 as the successor to the Daimler DR450, which, incidentally, was nothing more than a Pullman version of the Daimler Majestic Major with an extended wheelbase and passenger compartment. The DS420 was the last model that Daimler could consider its own, i.e. one that was not created by slightly modifying and renaming a model from Jaguar, which had owned the brand since 1960. Nevertheless, it could not be considered a completely independent development. The technical basis came from the Jaguar Mark X, such as the 4.2-litre inline six-cylinder engine, the three-speed automatic transmission and the chassis. Due to its origins, unlike its predecessor, the DS420 did not have a chassis construction, but a self-supporting body. However, the shape of the body was completely unique, so much so that it reminded on the coachbuilder Hooper, which manufactured bodies for Daimler, before and immediately after the Second World War. Of the total of 5,043 DS420s manufactured between 1968 and 1992, 4,116 were produced at the Kingsbury plant in north-west London, which had belonged to British Leyland since 1967, together with Jaguar and Daimler. The remaining almost 1,000 were produced by Jaguar itself at its Coventry plant from 1979 onwards.

Photo 1; Original photograph from 30 June 1987, when the DS420 with the registration number D500 GUW was waiting to drive to its majestic owner.
Photo 2: I would accept it as a workplace. The seat is soft, and apart from parking, driving is not strenuous either.
Photo 3: Daimler nameplate on the standard six-cylinder DOHC engine of the Jaguar XK

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