The truly regal green-over-tan SUV Land Rover built by Special Vehicle Operations is about to go up for grabs.
Queen Elizabeth II was known to be a real Land Rover enthusiast. As legend goes, she once had an automatic Land Rover Defender, she received, sent back to have a manual transmission fitted. She was also known to fix the vehicles herself and preferred to drive whenever she could. This rather ordinary 2004 Range Rover, then, is a rare opportunity to own a car loved and driven presumably by the late, legendary Queen of England.
It is a bona fide royal car supplied by Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations.
A 2004 model year example of the luxury 4×4 that belonged to none other than the late Queen Elizabeth II will be sold by Iconic Auctioneers next month. The stately SUV comes with the special options requested by her majesty, along with plenty of mileage.
This lovely-looking green and tan L322-generation truck went to the Queen Under contract 34319, with a select few modifications to make it fit for royal security duty.
Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations built the queen’s SUV. It is a third-generation Range Rover finished in Epsom Green over a Sand Hide interior being a similar color combo to that of her back-up ride, a 2009 Jaguar X-Type Estate. It’s not a stock model, of course, and has several upgrades, including a modified grille with covert lights, a dog guard, cargo matt, front and rear seat covers, side steps, and mudflaps.
Land Rover modified the front grill to fit hidden lights that were controlled by a switch pack. There are also Queen-specific modifications that were fixtures of the queen’s other vehicles, like rear grab handles and the dual rear window switches to make entering and exiting the vehicle easier.
Of course, the Queen does not drive every vehicle in her large fleet. Most of them are for the security detail and entourage, but according to the seller, Iconic Auctioneers, this one is verified on video as being driven by the Queen. The auction house has video proof of the royal driving the vehicle that is available upon request should you have concerns about its provenance. The video is not posted but is available upon request, making this Range Rover particularly special as one of Her Majesty’s chosen vehicles. .
The queen seems to have got a fair bit of use out of whatever mill is under the hood. Iconic Auctioneers says the vehicle has 109,675 miles on the clock, though it is unclear how many of those came with her at the wheel. Funnily enough, for its entire life it was serviced at normal Land Rover dealers.
Iconic Auctioneers estimates that when it hits the block next month, it will sell for $60,000 to $70,000 (plus several taxes and fees). It will be auctioned live in the United Kingdom on 11th November, which might be your only chance to own a car driven by Queen Elizabeth II.
The auction listing is short on technical details, but the 2004 Range Rover came with one of two powertrains sourced by BMW. The first was a 4.0-liter V-8 that produced 282 hp and 325 ft lbs of torque and the second a 3.0-liter inline-six turbodiesel which produced 175 hp and 288 ft lbs of torque.
When it goes up for bid on November 11 in Birmingham, England Iconic Auctioneers expects the elegant bruiser to go for between £50,000 and £60,000 (or roughly $61,000 to $73,000). There is sure to be at least one Crown lover out there who will consider that a bargain.
