by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain loved cars and drove herself until recently. The royal garage always housed the most luxurious and modern cars – Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, Rolls-Royce. Many cars were created specifically for the royal family. Focus selected the most interesting and unusual cars of Elizabeth II.
Daimler DB18
Daimler DB18 was Elizabeth II’s very first car. In 1944, while still a princess, she received this 70-horsepower sedan as a gift from her father, King George VI. Remarkably, the future queen learned to drive during her service in the British Army — she drove sanitary trucks there.
Daimler DE36
Immediately after her coronation, Elizabeth II used her father’s cars — Daimler DE36 limousines with 150-horsepower V-eight engines. An interesting detail: these cars had a transparent roof so that subjects could see their queen.
Rolls-Royce Phantom
Rolls-Royce Phantoms of different years were popular with the royal family. In 1950, Elizabeth II and her husband Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, acquired a Rolls-Royce Phantom IV limousine, and later they had another such car in a landaulet body — with a roof that folds over the rear seats.
From the 60s to the 90s, the Queen of Great Britain used Rolls-Royce Phantom V and VI limousines. These enormous six-meter cars featured a high level of comfort and luxury.
Austin Vanden Plas Princess
Exclusive cars were often created specifically for Elizabeth II’s visits to other countries. For example, in preparation for the queen’s trip to Jamaica in 1966, a special Austin Vanden Plas Princess landaulet was built with two air conditioners and luxurious interior finishes. Recently, this car was put up for auction.
Land Rover
Elizabeth II used not only luxurious limousines. She liked Land Rovers, and in total, there were over 30 of these SUVs in the royal garage. The queen often drove them herself. Exclusive Land Rovers were also created — such as a convertible for Elizabeth II’s tour of the Commonwealth of Nations countries.
Vauxhall Cresta
Practical estate cars also won the queen’s favor. In the 70s, she was repeatedly seen behind the wheel of a Vauxhall Cresta. This 4.7-meter vehicle featured a spacious cabin and a large trunk. Later, the royal garage also housed Jaguar X-Type and Opel/Vauxhall Insignia estate cars.
Daimler DS420
The large 5.7-meter Daimler DS420 limousine from Jaguar in the 80s was practically Elizabeth II’s everyday car. It was cheaper to maintain than the Rolls-Royce Phantom but was slightly less comfortable.
Bentley State Limousine
The Bentley State Limousine is perhaps the most famous car of Elizabeth II. It was created specifically for the royal family, and only two such cars were built. The armored Bentley limousine is 6.2 meters long and intentionally made tall (1.77 meters) so that the queen could get into the car without bending down or removing her hat. In 2009, the turbocharged V8 Bentley was converted to run on biofuel. The queen was also given the very first Bentley Bentayga.
Range Rover
The Queen of Great Britain had a vast number of Range Rovers and loved driving them. In 2015, a special SUV with a sliding roof was built for her. Its rear seats were removed so that Elizabeth II could stand during parades. This Range Rover is equipped with a hybrid powertrain.
Golden Carriage
What would a queen be without a real carriage? Her horse-drawn carriage was built in 1762 and is the oldest vehicle in the royal garage. The carriage is adorned with gold leaf and frescoes. It’s used very rarely and only on special ceremonial occasions.
