The British royal family is recognized all over the world, and their long-standing position as the heads of the British state has meant they’re extremely wealthy. Luckily, many members of the family are also keen car enthusiasts and even those that don’t tend to drive impressively lavish vehicles. Their car collection might not be quite as extensive as the Sultan of Brunei’s or the Saudi royal family, but the Brits certainly have their fair share of impressive cars hidden away in their garages.
Many of these cars will be instantly recognizable British classics, but that’s not the only thing the Royals have an affinity for. Among their treasure trove of Range Rovers and Rolls-Royces is a collection of cars from a certain four-ringed German marque and even a car that was built from the ground up specifically for Queen Elizabeth. Let’s take a closer look at some of the coolest cars that members of the royal family have owned over the years.
10 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante
Via Carpixel.net
Today, Prince Charles is a strong advocate of eco-friendly cars, but back in the ’80s and ’90s he was often seen driving big V8 grand tourers. One such car was his Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante, which was gifted to him by the Emir of Bahrain.
Via Carpixel.net
He drove it from 1987 to 1995, then the car disappeared from the public eye. Very few pictures exist today of the Prince with his V8 Vantage, but the car’s spec was reportedly similar to the one pictured here except it featured the Prince’s trademark blue paintwork.
9 Land Rover Defender
Via Jaguar Land Rover Works
One of the Queen’s favorite cars is the Land Rover Defender, and it’s estimated she’s owned over 30 of them. She usually chooses a similar spec each time, with an Aintree Green exterior and the most luxurious interior that Land Rover can offer. The car pictured isn’t from her personal collection, but it’s very similar in terms of its specification.
Via Jaguar Land Rover Works
Even in her old age, the Queen has been regularly pictured driving her Defenders round her private Scottish estate. She often used them for shooting parties, and one ex-Royal example that came up for public auction even still had shotgun cartridges left in the glove box.
8th Aston Martin DB6 Volante
Via Supercars.net
The Queen bought Prince Charles an Aston Martin DB6 Volante for his 21st birthday, and since then it’s been one of his favorite cars. It’s still in his possession today, and he’s occasionally photographed driving it with his wife Camilla.
Via Aston Martin Press
The Aston Martin, like much of Prince Charles’s car collection, has been converted to run on environmentally-friendly fuel. It uses surplus alcohol from wine production to run, which led to the Prince declaring that “it smells delicious as you’re driving along.”
7 Jaguar I Pace
Via Jaguar Land Rover
When he’s not swanning about in his classic Aston Martin, Prince Charles conducts his more formal engagements in his Jaguar I-Pace, which he bought in 2018.
Via Jaguar Land Rover
The car is all-electric and continues the Prince’s goal of cutting Royal household emissions by 25% in ten years. The car mostly stays in London and is used as Charles’ main mode of transport for the busy city streets.
6 Range Rover Hybrid LWB
Via JLR
What better way to make an entrance at big events than in the back of a roofless LWB Range Rover? The Queen acquired this custom landaulet in 2015 and it was built via Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division.
Via JLR
The rear seats of the car were removed to give the Queen and her family space to stand and wave, but there’s a retractable roof that covers the length of the Range Rover for when she’s finished her duties. All of the Queen’s state cars come painted in the same shade of claret, and the Range Rover is no exception.
5 Lagonda 3.0 liter
Via H and H Classics
Lagonda’s second-ever vehicle under the ownership of Aston Martin was the 3.0 Litre, a drophead coupe that caught the eye of Prince Philip in 1954. His car was supposedly equipped with a radiotelephone which the Prince liked to use to make prank calls to other members of the royal family.
Via H and H Classics
Also fitted was a large vanity mirror so the Queen could check her appearance before meeting her subjects. The car was sometimes carried around the world on the Royal Yacht Britannia and even made an appearance at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.
4 Audi RS6
Via auto trader
In sharp contrast to the British stately cars owned by the rest of the Royals, Prince Harry’s daily driver is an unusual choice. For around a year he owned and drove an Audi RS6 Avant, the German marque’s 597-hp super-wagon. It’s not the only Audi to be owned by a Royal either, as Prince Charles at one point owned an A8 and William and Kate owned an A5 Sportback and A3 respectively.
Via auto trader
Prince Harry’s RS6 was specced with RS Sport suspension, privacy glass, and a Dynamic Pack that increased the top speed of the car to 174 mph. It was put up for sale via a specialist auto dealer just a year after Harry bought it, for the surprisingly low sum of £71,900 ($97,562).
3 Rolls Royce Phantom
Via Rolls Royce Pressroom
The royal family has owned over a dozen Rolls-Royce Phantoms over the years, many of which are still in their possession today. They’re a favorite for the Queen to bring out for special occasions and have made appearances at every Royal wedding of the past few decades.
Via Hiamag
Occasionally, the family sells off one of their Phantoms to a private buyer, as was the case in 2014 when a Phantom IV was put up for auction. Mostly though, they stay in the Royal car collection ready for their next high-profile outing.
2 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith II LWB
Via H and H Auctions
It’s not just Queen Elizabeth who has a penchant for Rolls-Royces, her sister Princess Margaret is a noted fan of them too. One of her most long-serving cars was this Silver Wraith II, which she picked up in 1980 and used for years as her primary car.
Via Bramley Motor Cars
It featured a lowered back seat for added privacy and a police light mounted on top for when she wanted the right of way on the road. Princess Margaret also lent the car out to other notable figures including Queen Elizabeth herself and Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
1 Bentley State Limousine
Via NetCarShow
To celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002, Bentley custom built two State Limousines and gifted them to Her Majesty. Being the only two State Limousines in the world, it’s almost impossible to put an accurate value on them, but some estimates have put their worth at well over £10 million ($13.58 million) each.
Via NetCarShow
The car was designed exactly to the Queen’s needs and came in claret and black paint with the Royal Coat of Arms on the roof, like all the other official Royal limousines. The car is also heavily armored and it can be sealed airtight in case of a gas attack. The tires are reinforced with Kevlar and the twin-turbo 400-hp V8 engine means that the Bentley is pretty much ready for anything should an attack happen.
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About The Author
Mark Cowley
(338 Articles Published)
Mark covers a variety of topics for HotCars, from the latest pickup trucks to obscure Japanese sedans. A regular fixture at car shows around the UK and Europe, if there’s a weird model or obscure manufacturer, he probably knows about it. Having previously worked as a radio presenter, he knows a thing or two about Top 10 lists, and enjoys writing them as much as presenting them. Mark is a graduate of the University of Sheffield’s English department and is currently based out of Birmingham, UK.
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