It is often said that Queen Elizabeth II favoured driving her Land Rover Defender, even sending it back to have the automatic gearbox changed to a manual. Yet the late monarch was also particularly taken with a humble Jaguar X-Type family estate car – clocking up a healthy 70,000 miles, more often than not taking the wheel herself.
Now the former royal runaround is to be auctioned, without a reserve price, on 26 November. Many will have seen it before, with photographs of the Queen driving her Jaguar published by both the press and members of the public, who would often encounter Her Majesty in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Despite the X-Type earning lukewarm praise from the critics, Her Majesty was a long-standing supporter of Jaguar. She took on ownership of the facelifted model in 2009 – believed to be her second X-Type Estate – with the pre-delivery inspection carried out by the Jaguar factory, at Browns Lane.
Finished in its original Emerald Fire with a Barley leather interior, the car’s royal status is confirmed by its original paperwork, and naturally it was ordered in plush Sovereign trim level. It features the flagship 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine, and comes with a sunroof, automatic transmission, electric windows, climate control, a comprehensive service history and Heritage Certificate from the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust.
The X-Type range was launched in 2001, and facelifted in 2008. It was developed during Jaguar’s Ford-owned era and based on the platform that also underpinned the 2002 Ford Mondeo – albeit reengineered to accommodate four-wheel drive – and built at the Halewood plant.
Reviewing the facelifted X-Type at the time of its launch, Andrew Frankel, Hagerty contributor and former Road Test Editor of Autocar, pondered whether the X-Type estate was up to scratch: ‘It’s a pleasant and capable device, though it remains to be seen whether being merely pleasant and capable is enough to persuade the public to desert their 3-series Tourings in favour of a concept as novel as a Jaguar estate,’ wrote Frankel.
Naturally, the late Queen stood by Jaguar, even if the BMW boasted a sweeter chassis and better residual values.
James Good of auctioneer Historics Auctioneers commented: “It is such an honour to bring to auction such an iconic piece of history – and a car that was evidently so much enjoyed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A wonderful and unrepeatable collectible to treasure.”
Although the trade would value an equivalent X-Type Estate at less than £4000, it goes without saying that the royal connection means it could fetch a Queen’s ransom.
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My 2005 x-type wagon is black, I just love it only seen a couple in the states years ago now I don’t see any.