Makes › Daimler › DE36 › DE36 Drophead Coupé by Hooper ("Green Goddess" type) · Coachbuilt · 1948–1950 Ultra Rare
Daimler
DE36 Drophead Coupé by Hooper ("Green Goddess" type)
Hooper's flamboyant 1948 Earls Court show design on the straight-eight chassis; Hooper files list 8 body numbers on 7 chassis
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 8 Built
- Years
- 1948–1950
- Engine
- Straight-eight · 5,460 cc / 5.5 LFactory: 5,460 cc
- Power
- 112 kW / 152 PSFactory: 150 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Hooper
- Designer
- Not yet verified
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
Hooper's 'Green Goddess' drophead was the sensation of the first post-war Motor Show in 1948 and by far its most expensive car, at £7,000 including purchase tax. It sat on the Daimler DE36, Britain's last straight-eight passenger car, and set the tone for the later Docker Daimlers.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionHooper body numbers of the Green Goddess DHC type (on 7 chassis) | 81 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Hooper exhibited a five-seat drophead coupé with streamlined bodywork in jade green on the DE36 chassis at Earls Court in 1948, and the press named it 'The Green Goddess'. It was described as an export model, and Sir Bernard Docker later used the car. Hooper's files show eight bodies of the type built between 1948 and early 1951, at least five of them sold to the USA (three with left-hand drive).
Variants
How each version differs from the standard DE36 Drophead Coupé by Hooper ("Green Goddess" type).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Straight-eight2 Registry reported |
| Displacement | 5,460 cc / 5.5 LFactory: 5,460 cc3 Registry reported |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | 112 kW / 152 PSFactory: 150 hp · converted3 Registry reportedSource states bhp (brake horsepower, mechanical). |
| Power at | 3,600 rpm3 Registry reported |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
The type is documented by Hooper body and Daimler chassis numbers: bodies 9352, 9537, 9538, 9539, 9540, 9613, 9641 and 9642 on chassis 51233, 51724, 52802, 51745, 51752, 51753 and 51754, with chassis 51233 apparently used for both bodies 9352 and 9642. Bodies 9540, 9613 and 9641 were left-hand drive. Hooper body numbers worked more like job numbers than model codes, so the chassis/body pairing is the key check.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
DE36 Hooper DHC – Daimler & Lanchester Owners Club Level A
- 8 Hooper body numbers of the Green Goddess DHC type (on 7 chassis)
-
2
DE36 Hooper drophead coupé (Green Goddess) Level A Daimler & Lanchester Owners' Club
- 5½ litre straight-eight
-
3
Daimler DE27 and DE36 Level A Daimler & Lanchester Owners' Club
- 5460cc eight-cylinder
- 150bhp@3600rpm
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