1931 Daimler Double Six 50 Sport Corsica Drophead Coupe that cost $1K at 1961 auction got restored for over $6M in 2005
Published on Oct 02, 2025 at 7:27 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Oct 01, 2025 at 4:31 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
A 1931 Daimler Double Six 50 Sport Corsica Drophead Coupe classic car that cost $1,000 at an auction in 1961 was restored in 2005 for over $6 million.
This truly stunning coupe sat on top of a modified chassis by Thompson & Taylor, and it is one of the rarest cars in the world.
Amazingly, it was bought for just $1,000 at an auction in the 1960s, but in the mid-2000s, it underwent a huge restoration that cost over $6 million at the time.
With such a thorough restoration on such a beautiful car, it is little wonder it cost so much to restore.
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Why is the Daimler Double Six 50 Sport so rare?
First of all, this isn’t Daimler as in Mercedes, but Daimler, the classic British car company.
Only six of these cars were made from 1926 to 1930, each with a V12 engine under the hood.
In total, the cars could produce 150hp.
Custom bodies for the chassis also made specific cars rarer, and different chassis added to the exclusivity.
This particular example is one of the few that rides on a Thompson & Taylor chassis.
The chassis is 30661-1931, and this car started out in a tan/brown color, unlike the black it was restored into.
A single family owned the car for some time before it underwent its restoration in 2005.
RM Restorations soon got their hands on the car, and it was they who conducted the restoration.
This was completed before the car was transferred to its next owner, Robert Lee.
The restoration of the classic car was an expensive affair
Lee probably didn’t expect the restoration of the coupe to be as expensive as it was.
An earlier accident necessitated extra repair work, and the engine itself took a year to refurbish.
All in, Lee paid over $6 million to restore the car and turn around its fortunes.
The car was finished in a gorgeous black with a convertible roof.
After the restoration, Lee took the Classic car to Pebble Beach in 2006.
It won the coveted ‘Best of Show’ award that year.
It thoroughly deserved it, too, after all the work that had gone into it
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
