Just four owners, the current for 22 years; engine rebuilt by Russ Carpenter; gearbox rebuilt; various choice upgrades; quality repaint and retrim; lots of bills for upkeep; long MOT; a really super B-Spec Dart that was driven to the saleLaunched at the 1959 New York Auto Show, the Daimler SP250 (now universally known as the Dart although Dodge threatened legal action over the name at the time) is one of Britain's most distinctive classic sports cars.

Built to target the American market, the roadster paired a lightweight, swooping fibreglass body with a gem of an engine: a 2.5-litre Edward Turner–designed V8.

Pushing out 140bhp through twin SU carburettors, it could sprint past 120mph – performance so punchy that UK police famously deployed SP250s as motorway patrol cars to catch speeders.

Despite divisive styling and initial manufacturing quirks, its intoxicating exhaust note and power-to-weight ratio cemented its cult status.The initial 1959 models (retrospectively called A-Spec) ...