British to the end: A look back at Queen Elizabeth II’s cars

A reign spanning seven decades ended this past Thursday with the death of England’s Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96.

The longest reigning monarch in the history of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth’s ascent to the thrown at the age of 25 in 1952 following the sudden passing of her father, George VI, most likely surpassed all expectations of time associated with a head of a state.

Aside from her stately appearance, preference for wearing loud-coloured clothing, always contrasted with a tiny black handbag, and commitment to the British people, an aspect Elizabeth will also be remembered for is her vast array of vehicles and much-reported preference for driving rather than being driven.

The best-known Brit not to have a driver’s licence, the Queen, in her later years, was more commonly seen being chauffeured in her burgundy Bentley State Limousine.

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A gift from the Crewe-based automaker on the celebration of her Diamond Jubilee twenty years ago, the bespoke model, of which two were known to be produced, uses the long since discontinued Arange as a base, but with a longer wheelbase and length, raised roof and wider stance.

Fitted with bulletproof glass, Kevlar-reinforced tyres and an airtight cabin, the State Limousine utilised the iconic Bentley 6.75-litre twin-turbo V8 that bowed out two years ago on the Arange’s replacement, the Mulsanne, with outputs of 298kW/836Nm.

Last year, a Bernato Green Mulsanne, used by Buckingham Place between 2013 and 2015, fetched $322 000 (R5.5-million) at an auction after having completed less than 4 000 km.

More closely associated with Elizabeth II, though, is her well-documented use of Land Rovers, right from the original Series 1 to the recent generation Range Rover.

Reported to be her favourite brand, she would often be seen driving around the grounds of Balmoral Castle in a Land Rover or Ranger Rover, with recent reports suggesting the royal household kept around 30 different models at Buckingham Place. According to alleged well-placed reports, a 2002 Defender 110 Td5 was the her absolute favourite.

Besides Land Rover and Bentley, Elizabeth, who famously served as a vehicle mechanic in World War II, was also seen in various Jaguar, Daimler, Rolls-Royce and Aston Martins models, as well as a Rover P5B famously featured in an episode of Top Gear in 2003.

The association with Rover unearthed an additional surprise with the listing of a 1993 827 Sterling in June this year.

Finished in British Racing Green, the then flagship Rover model had been delivered new to Buckingham Place in said year, though it doesn’t state whether the Queen actually drove it. It has since been sold for a rather paltry £6 300 (R126 146).

Probably the most unusual connection is Vauxhall, who in the 1960s produced bespoke estate versions of the Cresta and Victor for the Royal Household.

The sister marque of Opel also holds the distinction of having delivered Elizabeth a car solely aimed at transporting her beloved Corgis, a on-off estate version of the Viceroy in 1981 South Africans will know better as the Chevrolet Commodore.

Additional information from telegraph.co.uk.