Daimler needed a new model to put its new engines into, and lacking the funds to do this it fell into the hands of Jaguar in 1960. Daimler now had the opportunity to fit their engines into new bodies, but in fact the initiative came from Jaguar who realised the worth of the 2½litre Edward Turner V8. The Daimler 2½litre V8 was launched in 1962 as an upmarket Jaguar 2.4 Mk2 intended to appeal to professionals and less sporting people than usual Jaguar owners. Most Daimlers were automatic gearbox and given a high specification.