Founded in London, England, by H.J. Lawson in 1896, the Daimler Company bought the licensing rights to use Gottleib Daimler's engines. After a shaky start, the company was sold to Birmingham Small Arms in 1910 where it found firm footing. Of course, it didn't hurt that Daimler was awarded the Royal Warrant to build cars for the British Monarchy in 1902, a position they held until they were replaced by Rolls-Royce in the 1950s. Throughout the century Daimler built some fantastic cars from economical transportation to opulent luxury cars. In 1959, Daimler shocked the world with a nifty little sports car to compete with the likes of Triumph, MG, and Austin-Healey. The result was the SP250, a stylish little roadster that made its mark through a lightweight fiberglass body and stellar performance. The SP250 was actually introduced as the Daimler "Dart" at the 1959 New York Auto Show, but threats from the Chrysler Corporation over using the Dart name led to it being referred to as the SP250