As the world pays tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, today we take a look at some of the vehicles that have been made in her honour.
The Queen’s funeral will take place at 11am on Monday 19 September at Westminster Abbey.
At around 11.55am, a rendition of the Last Post will be followed by two minutes of silence across the UK.
And as the world pauses to mark the historic passing of the former monarch, we’ve leafed back through the motoring archives to highlight some four-wheeled tributes to Her Majesty down the years.
The Queen was, after all, a car lover who enjoyed a string of eye-catching vehicles. She was a dab-hand at vehicle maintenance, too, and spent five months as a truck driver and mechanic as part of the war effort.
She was often photographed at the wheel of her Land Rover Defender and also owned cars like the Vauxhall Cresta Estate, Rover P5B, and Bentley Bentayga. She even gifted her son, King Charles III, a sumptuous Aston Martin DB6 for his 21st birthday.
And these are some past tributes from manufacturers to honour the Queen’s life.
Mulsanne Diamond Jubilee Edition
In 2012 Bentley created a limited run of 60 ‘Diamond Jubilee Edition’ Mulsanne’s to mark the Queen’s birthday and her Diamond Jubilee year. It was designed by the creators of the Bentley State Limousine presented to Queen Elizabeth II in 2002.
A Bentley spokesperson said:
“These very special Bentleys are distinguished by a range of exquisite, handcrafted features paying tribute to the Jubilee. These include bespoke embroidery to all four headrests using gold stitching, veneered picnic tables in the rear cabin decorated with a gold overlay depicting a royal carriage used for great occasions of state as well as luxurious, hide cushions featuring the same motif.”
Vauxhall Royal Astra
In 2016, Vauxhall launched a ‘Royal’ version of its Astra hatchback to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday. It featured Royal Red carpets as well as a fun ‘corgi booster seat’ in the back. But there was also a heartfelt message behind the car.
Vauxhall said:
“Her Majesty has been a Vauxhall owner for more than 50 years, all in Balmoral Green, a bespoke deep green colour not normally supplied by Vauxhall. Her Majesty the Queen’s 1961 PA Cresta Friary Estate was a personal favourite, serving the royal fleet and containing a number of interesting features like fishing rod holders built into the roof and a gun rack.”
LEVC Platinum Taxis
Earlier this year, to coincide with the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Pageant, LEVC - aka London Electric Vehicle Company - debuted three bespoke platinum electric TX taxis for the event.
LEVC said it was ‘proud’ to be part of the pageant.
And the gleaming taxis certainly caught the eye as the occasion was broadcast to millions of people across the world.
Reliant Robin Jubilee
It takes something of a stretch of the imagination to see Her Majesty swapping her state limousine for Del Boy’s run-about.
But back in 1977, Reliant created the ‘Robin Jubilee’ to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.
The poster advertising the car heralded, ‘A very rare breed indeed’, and the Robin Jubilee was finished in Royal purple with a silver coachline.
Interestingly, Anne, Princess Royal, actually owned a Reliant Robin that she used to get around the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, and she also later took it to the Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire.
McLaren Artura
In May of this year McLaren unveiled a one-off version of its Artura supercar to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
The Artura was finished in ‘Platinum Jubilee’ silver and instead of wearing the McLaren badge on the nose, it had an exquisitely crafted ‘Elizabeth II’ name plate instead.
A spokesperson for McLaren’s bespoke MSO division said:
“It has been an honour for MSO to create a new platinum paint in celebration of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee this year. This special paint, which will be available for customers to select for years to come, will be a fitting tribute to mark this historic milestone."
Jaguar E-Type
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The Queen had a long association with Jaguar, and was often snapped driving her Royal green X-Type estate.
And to mark the Platinum Jubilee this year, the ‘Classic’ division of Jaguar UK revealed a one-off E-Type Roadster that went on to feature in the official pageant.
The car’s design - including its unique paintwork - was inspired by the Union Jack.
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