Daimler Hire Limited

Daimler Hire Limited was a service begun in 1907 to provide a luxury chauffeur-driven Daimler Limousine hire service from Knightsbridge in London. It was a wholly-owned operation and later a subsidiary of the Daimler Motor Company Ltd., which was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer based in Coventry.

The operation began as a reserve pool of cars and a staff of drivers to provide support for the mews at Buckingham Palace and for other Daimler owners when their cars needed servicing. The services soon extended to prosperous London residents who did not wish to have the trouble of keeping their own car and driver. In 1919, 250 new Daimler limousines were added to the fleet and a luxury aircraft hire service was established called Daimler Airway Limited.

In 1949 Daimler Hire Limited was acquired by Thomas Tilling Limited, which operated a similar London car hire business. At the beginning of 1958, the company was purchased by Hertz of America as their first inroad into the British car hire business, although Daimler Hire retained its separate trading identity until 1976.

by Mark Matlach