A 1953 Land Rover delivered to Queen Elizabeth II for use on her Balmoral estate in Scotland will go under the hammer in February. Wearing regal number plate NXN 1 the car was in regular use by the Queen, Prince Philip, the Queen Mother, and Prince (now King) Charles until 1966, and could fetch six figures at auction.
“It’s not often that a vehicle with such impressive Royal provenance like this is offered publicly for sale,” explains Rob Hubbard, sales director of Silverstone Auctions. “Its special features and Royal connections make it exceptionally interesting. This Land Rover would doubtless have been used extensively on the Balmoral estate where we know the Royals loved to picnic. It would have been a familiar and much-loved part of Her Majesty and Prince Philip’s private lives.”
The car was purchased by the current owner in neighbouring Ballater, re-registered, and kept in the family garage more-or-less ever since. This lovely Landie has previously undergone a detailed restoration which is claimed to have been paid for as a gift by King Charles. It led the Land Rover parade at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee pageant and is said to be the most photographed Land Rover in the world.
The Royal Rover will be sale at Silverstone Auctions on 25 February, 2023. The auction house expects the classic 4×4 to sell for £100,000 to £150,000 but the prices for cars driven by the Windsors can reach right royal heights. Silverstone Auctions sold a Ford Escort RS Turbo driven by Princess Diana for an astounding £725,000 earlier this year, so the final hammer price for this Land Rover is anybody’s guess.
Via Hagerty US
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