United Kingdom (Commonwealth Union)_The late Queen Elizabeth II’s royally stylish SUV that was used to pick up the US President Obama is selling for £224,850.
The dark blue Range Rover was used by the former US President and his wife, Michelle, during a state visit in April 2016.
The late monarch’s 2016 Range Rover has been listed with Bramley Motor Cars in the U.K., for sale a mere three months after her 2004 example went under the gavel at Iconic Auctioneers.
The Range Rover 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography LWB, a part of the royal household’s fleet in 2016 and 2017, was driven by the sovereign herself and has appeared at numerous highly publicized royal events. Prince Philip drove former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, during a state visit in April 2016, for example, from the airport to Windsor Castle.
“It is perhaps one of the few occasions that President Obama would have traveled in a vehicle, other than one of his heavily armored presidential limousines,” Bramley said in a statement.
Salesman Jack Morgan-Jones told Sky News that anyone can buy a new Ferrari, but that not everyone can buy the Queen’s car.
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The 2016 SUV still sports the grab handles used by the Queen.
The car was specifically tweaked for the Queen’s use with police emergency lighting, specially adapted side steps and grab handles, when it was part of the royal fleet from 2016 to 2017.
Morgan-Jones explained to Sky News that though usually all signs that a car was used by the Royal Family are removed, “We actually hadn’t realised that the grab handles had been left in the boot of the car underneath the spare wheel.”
“If you wanted to, you could put them back in.”
The car was specifically tweaked for the Queen’s use including grab handles and police lightingPA
During President Obama’s state visit, Prince Philip drove with the Queen to greet their American guests as they stepped off their helicopter onto the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Morgan-Jones of Bramley Motor Cars said that it was a lovely thing, and was one of the most well covered royal cars that was in a royal fleet, including the Obama visit.
The salesman who listed the vehicle commented that they normally, endeavour to change the registration number when a car has been in royal service, but not in this case, so that there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that this was the car used by the Queen.
Morgan-Jones explained to Sky News that this Range Rover is different, although usually all signs that a car was used by the Royal Family are removed.
He stated that they actually hadn’t realised that the grab handles had been left in the boot of the car underneath the spare wheel. “If you wanted to, you could put them back in.”
The stately SUV prepared by the Land Rover Workshop at Gaydon, was originally fitted with special options for Her Majesty, according to Bramley. Most of these elements, such as fixed side steps and covert lighting, were removed after the vehicle left the Royal Household. The grab handles that were used by the queen and the warning sticker for the siren on the engine compartment remained intact, though, adding a nostalgic touch to the ride.
In terms of aesthetics, the body was finished in dark sapphire blue, while the cabin was decked out in ivory leather. Under the hood is a 4.4 liter V-8 engine. The 4×4 seems to be in good nick, too, with a mere 18,206 miles on the dial and two services under its belt. (The two services in 2016 and 2017 were carried out by Jaguar Land Rover, as opposed to the Land Rover dealer network.) The vehicle has only had two owners, : One was an old client of the car dealers, while the other was a local chap.
As for the price, the Range Rover is listed for £224,850 (about $285,000). Although a new model costs about half of that, starting at just under £100,000 ($126,500), clearly Royal provenance comes at a premium. The queen’s 2016 Range Rover ended up selling for £132,750 ($168,166) last November at Iconic Auctioneers. An extra hundred thousand to ride like a blue blood still sounds like a bargain.
The car has been sold twice before, is being sold with the same number plates as Her Majesty used in 2016, first to a client of the car dealers and then to a “local chap who just loved the history behind it.
The price of the car is considerably higher than a standard Range Rover because of its historical significance.
The car is selling at £224,850, which is higher than previous sales as this is the first time the car has been sold when the Queen is not alive.
The car only has 18,000 miles on the clock and is fitted with clean, ivory leather seats, a mahogany and cream dashboard and TV screens in the back.
The car is listed by Bramley Motor Cars in Surrey on the Auto Trader website.
