In the beginning
The New Zealand Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club was formed in Christchurch in 1971 when two enthusiastic Daimler owners (Gordon Somerville and the late Laurie Wason) met and called the inaugural meeting. Twelve owners attended that first meeting and decided to form a club, so set up a committee.
Over the following years, membership increased and interest from other regions led to the formation of Branches and Social Groups throughout NZ. The Club also gained a number of overseas members, especially as spare parts for the older cars became scarce.
The founding members deserve our appreciation of the time and effort they put into developing the evolving club into, at its peak, the largest ‘one-make’ car club in New Zealand with over 900 members.
All persons owning a Daimler, Lanchester or B.S.A. (goto a timeline of the Daimler Company) vehicles were eligible for membership, and the principal objective was to encourage the preservation and enjoyment of the marque.
The Club developed on two distinct fronts:
Car-related social gatherings around the country and national and Island-based rallys
Spare parts for the aging cars. These parts included new, used and re-manufactured
The Spare Parts Division became an enterprise in its own right, and eventually its management was split off from the social side of the club. It now operates as a completely separate organisation, the “The Daimler & Lancester Owners in N.Z. Spare Parts Club Inc” with a separate membership fee.
The original National body continues to thrive with members living in most areas of New Zealand and full Branches operating in Auckland, Waikato – Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay, Manawatu and Otago and regularly attracts additional members.
The Clubs Bi-Monthly Magazine, usually running to some thirty pages with a coloured center insert of photographs, is circulated to and very popular with our membership and contains many items sourced from them around New Zealand.
Members residing in Wellington and Christchurch, where Branches no longer exist can also join the local Daimler Enthusiasts Clubs now operating in those areas.
The DLOC Now
Today, the Social and the Spare Parts aspects of the club still exist, but separately. This website has been put together by the Social side of the Club, the Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand.
Many Daimler and Lanchester owners belong to both the social and spares clubs, and some only to one or other depending on their interests and needs. The club currently has about 200 enthusiastic members throughout NZ with most branches running a social event or outing every 2 months. In addition, the AGM has become a National Mini Rally, a chance for members to congregate from all round the country.
Most of the cars that turn out to events are from the 1950’s to today, with the Daimler-Jaguar models, from V8 to Sovereign often reigning supreme. However, some of the pre 1960’s models are coaxed out of their garages for some runs and displays!
Contact details for the Spare Parts Club Inc are:
Daimler & Lanchester Owners in N.Z. Spare Parts Club Inc
P O Box 43, Belfast
Christchurch 8546
New Zealand
Email: daimjagspares@xtra.co.nz