Friday 14th August 2009

Right Royal Bargain: Queen's Daimler For Sale

One lady owner, full service history, radio connection to Downing Street and Home Office...

---

One for the blue bloods...

Sometimes a car comes along with a bit of celebrity ‘provenance’. It might be a Porsche owned by the Beckhams or an ex-Jay Kay Lambo. But more often than not the celebrity connection – and the calibre of said celeb – is often dubious to say the least.

Not so here. The rather unassuming Daimler you see in these pics isn’t quite your usual one-lady-owner used motor. Or rather it is, but the one lady owner is rather unusual. You see, the contact address for this car’s owner between 2001 and 2005 was one E. Windsor, Buckingham Palace, London.

That’s right: this long-wheelbase 4.0-litre Daimler Super Sport was the Queen’s personal transport for four years and almost certainly the only car commissioned by the queen to be offered for general sale.

'Handbag rest' unique to this car

The car was run in by Jaguar for 2500 miles to iron out any problems, after which Lizzy covered 11,000 miles in it, driving herself to Windsor at weekends and Church on Sundays in it, and to more low-key social engagements.

At Her Majesty’s request, the car comes without ashtrays or cigarette lighters, and has what the seller describes as ‘a place to put her handbag when she had a front-seat passenger’ in a re-designed centre armrest.

The Daimler also has a full set of (fully functioning) strobes, flashing headlights and neon-blue lights either side of the rear-view mirror that can be controlled from a panel hidden by the J-gate gear selector.

Flashing lights work. Great for motorways...

There is also a direct radio link to the Home Office and Downing Street, although that has sadly been disconnected(!).

The car, which has now covered 14,000 miles, is being sold by Legends in Time – a company that ordinarily deals with motoring memorabilia. Of which, if you think about it, the Queen’s Daimler is a stunning example.

Vendor Peter Ratcliffe won’t name a price, but says that ‘genuine offers are welcome’.

 

[Accelebrate]

Very cool in an unusual way.

11k in four years is probably higher than I would have guessed for The Queen.

[angus54]

"The car was run in by Jaguar for 2500 miles to iron out any problems, after which Lizzy covered 11,000 miles in it, driving herself to Windsor at weekends and Church on Sundays in it, and to more low-key social engagements."


Yup thats right 2,500 miles and after that you don't get any problems with these cars.

Value for ordinary car: £3,000 with that mileage.

Value for ownership history: +£3,000 (she is German afterall)

So a round fig of say £6k???

Remember its been pampered like a Corgi, leave it out in the rain too long and it'll be a pile of bubbling rust.

Good shed on here in 10 years though!!

[x200sxy]

A value of 3 grand for a 13500 miles V8???

Add a zero onto the mileage and you're about right for a bog standard 3.2

[ClaphamGT3]

Accelebrate said:

Very cool in an unusual way.

11k in four years is probably higher than I would have guessed for The Queen.

I suspect that she would have rarely taken the wheel herself. The Queen has not driven in London for some years and now generally confines herself to driving on the Royal estates.

IIRC, this is the car in which she was often driven from Windsor to London and back when she had no official engagements en route. When working at Heathrow, i used to quite often see her being driven into town in it.

[EDLT]

The link goes to "http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/Sometimes%20a%20car%20comes%20along%20with%20a%20bit%20of%20celebrity%20%E2%80%98provenance%E2%80%99.%20It%20might%20be%20a%20Porsche%20owned%20by%20the%20Beckhams%20or%20an%20ex-Jay%20Kay%20Lambo.%20But%20more%20often%20than%20not%20the%20celebrity%20connection%20%E2%80%93%20and%20the%20calibre%20of%20said%20celeb%20%E2%80%93%20is%20often%20dubious%20to%20say%20the%20least."

[Riggers]

EDLT said:

The link goes to "http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/Sometimes%20a%20car%20comes%20along%20with%20a%20bit%20of%20celebrity%20%E2%80%98provenance%E2%80%99.%20It%20might%20be%20a%20Porsche%20owned%20by%20the%20Beckhams%20or%20an%20ex-Jay%20Kay%20Lambo.%20But%20more%20often%20than%20not%20the%20celebrity%20connection%20%E2%80%93%20and%20the%20calibre%20of%20said%20celeb%20%E2%80%93%20is%20often%20dubious%20to%20say%20the%20least."

er... try it again. I think it goes somewhere more sensible now

[Jackal2k9]

the strobes etc could come in handy when ur late for work

[Tankslider]

WANT!

Like it Riggers, good find.

[quotemehappy]

The Queen can drive Seems like you learn something new everyday.

[ClaphamGT3]

quotemehappy said:

The Queen can drive Seems like you learn something new everyday.

Her Majesty the Queen was a 2nd Lt in the WRAC during the second world war, specialising in motor-transport and and vehicle maintenance. She is a competant mechanic and, to quote the Royal family's web-site "... an accomplished and enthusiastic motorist"

She normally drives a Land Rover 110 County (when at Sandringham or Balmoral) and a Daimler Super V8 or Vauxhall Omega estate when at Windsor

[Munter]

quotemehappy said:

The Queen can drive Seems like you learn something new everyday.

And if you believe what we're told about her in the war she can probably strip down and rebuild the back axel of a jeep/Land Rover.

[louismchuge]

ClaphamGT3 said:

quotemehappy said:

The Queen can drive Seems like you learn something new everyday.

Her Majesty the Queen was a 2nd Lt in the WRAC during the second world war, specialising in motor-transport and and vehicle maintenance. She is a competant mechanic and, to quote the Royal family's web-site "... an accomplished and enthusiastic motorist"

She normally drives a Land Rover 110 County (when at Sandringham or Balmoral) and a Daimler Super V8 or Vauxhall Omega estate when at Windsor

ClaphamGT3 - Charterd Surveyor / Stalker!!

[Nightmare]

there was a recent letter in a newspaper...maybe TheWeek..... about her driving....with reminiscences from people watching her neatly drifting through the Windsor estate many years ago......quite an enthusiastic driver from accounts given

[preciousmetal]

car was sold at the Bonhams classic car auction @ Jaguar Heritage - Silverstone and here is description off the website :

LOT 327 - Ex-Royal Relief Car,2001 Daimler Super V8 Saloon Chassis no. F35595 Engine no. LB0102281426 - £14,375

so i assume profits on top of this figure !! a brave bid i think

it was actually one of two similar ex HRH Royal Relief cars in the sale, very simlar spec - one was 2001 and one was 1998 so not sure that the statement in the topic is correct :

"That’s right: this long-wheelbase 4.0-litre Daimler Super Sport was the Queen’s personal transport for four years and almost certainly the only car commissioned by the queen to be offered for general sale"

Edited by preciousmetal on Friday 14th August 15:44

[Dr G]

He did say 'almost'

[Garlick]

haworthlloyd1 said:

i hate it when they don't have a price.

i'd be interested if it was a reasonble price but can't be bothered with the email conversation that will ensue

"how much is it"
"no timewasters, make an offer"
"well, how do i know what to offer"
"its been owned by the queen, serious offers"
"ok ill give you £5k"
"don't be silly thats a silly offer"
"ok £6k"
"now you are being silly you aren't in the right ballpark"
"ok how much would a reasonable offer be"
"we are welcoming offers the queen owned it"

I agree.

Sensible to me, may be completely different to what they consider to be sensible.

[leon9191]

quotemehappy said:

The Queen can drive Seems like you learn something new everyday.

She was a mechanic during the war and used to drive ambulances as well as I recall.

[Staffy1984]

ClaphamGT3 said:

Accelebrate said:

Very cool in an unusual way.

11k in four years is probably higher than I would have guessed for The Queen.

I suspect that she would have rarely taken the wheel herself. The Queen has not driven in London for some years and now generally confines herself to driving on the Royal estates.

IIRC, this is the car in which she was often driven from Windsor to London and back when she had no official engagements en route. When working at Heathrow, i used to quite often see her being driven into town in it.

She normally drives a range rover round the great park, I've never seen her driving this before.

[Accelebrate]

preciousmetal said:

LOT 327 - Ex-Royal Relief Car,2001 Daimler Super V8 Saloon Chassis no. F35595 Engine no. LB0102281426 - £14,375

If you ignore the cost of other similar vintage Daimlers then that's quite a bargain for the type of vehicle you're getting. At least you'd know this example was likely to be built extra carefully.

But as mentioned I can imagine someone trying to turn a tidy profit on this.

[jbush]

There have been quite a few ex-royal vehicles go up for resale. If they have number plates they will eventually hit the second hand market. As I recall it is only her vehicles that are sans plates (they carry the royal seal on the roof instead) that have never been resold.