Daimler DK400 Golden Zebra Coupe

Daimler & Hooper

Since the early 1900s, Daimler had been the favorite brand of the British royal family. The chairman of Daimler, Sir Bernard Docker, appointed his wife Norah Docker as director of Hooper & Co, part of the Daimler group.

Lady Docker

Sir Bernard Docker was the third husband of Nora. Having started as a dancer in a nightclub in London, she worked her way up to become one of the most famous society figures in Great Britain. By marrying Sir Bernard she acquired the title Lady Norah Docker. When she was given responsibility for Daimlers design department, she commissioned Hooper to do something about Daimlers staid image. She made the headlines thanks to a succession of 5 show models, now known as the Docker Daimlers. These were, in succession, the Gold Car in 1951, the Blue Clover in 1952, the Silver Flash in 1953, the Stardust in 1954 and finally the Golden Zebra in 1955.

The most extravagant specimen

The highlight of this succession of sensational Docker Daimlers was the Golden Zebra, a voluptuous extravagance on the 4.6 liter six cylinder DK400 limousine chassis. The exterior was finished in plain ivory white cellulose paint and all the trim was gold plated. The interior made use of gold leaf, ivory and zebra hides for the upholstery. In the luggage compartment there are cases of undressed hide with extra secure Bramah locks. All cocktail and toilet accessories are made of ivory, cut glass or gold. There is even a gold plated umbrella included.

The end of an era

With the Golden Zebra, the Docker Daimlers also came to an immediate end. Shortly after its introduction, the Docker couple were removed from the board of directors. The reason was the costs associated with the extravagant lifestyle of Sir Bernard and Lady Docker, which they tried to write off as business expenses. Their attempts to convince the shareholders that the spending was good for Daimlers image came to nothing. The low point was reached in 1956. Just before they were to attend the wedding of Prince Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly, they were told they had to hand in their cars.