Customised Land Rover used by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in Australia on her first tour as monarch is set to fetch £120,000 at auction
An incredibly rare custom Land Rover used by the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip has appeared for sale nearly 70 years later.
The 4×4 was one of six made especially for the royal couple to use on the Australian leg of their first Commonwealth tour in 1954.
Of the six examples built, only two have survived; this and the others are preserved in a British motorcycle museum.
This model has now been put up for auction by a private collector of early Land Rover models at Bonhams and is expected to fetch £120,000.
The car has a specially designed rear cockpit with seats and reclining bars for when the royals stood to wave to the crowd.
An incredibly rare custom Land Rover used by the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip has appeared for sale nearly 70 years later. The 4×4 was one of six made especially for the royal couple on their 1954 Commonwealth tour of Australia
The new Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip began their tour of the Commonwealth in late 1953, after the Queen ascended the throne in 1952. Above: The royal couple in the same Land Rover as they arrive at Parliament House in Hobart, Tasmania, in 1954
It also has a custom rear door with a step to make getting in and out easier and more dignified.
Inside it has a comfortable sofa, door cards and even a clock.
The car, burgundy with blue interior, was restored between 2015 and 2018 and is in excellent condition.
It has won multiple awards at various Land Rover shows and was named best car in class at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The new Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip began their tour of the Commonwealth in late 1953, after the Queen ascended the throne in 1952 following the death of her father, King George VI.
It was the longest Commonwealth tour she ever made, lasting seven months and covering 40,000 miles.
It started in Bermuda before the Queen left for Jamaica, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand where Her Majesty spent Christmas.
The royal party left the country until the end of January and arrived in Australia on February 3.
The car, burgundy with blue interior, was restored between 2015 and 2018 and is in excellent condition
It has won multiple awards at various Land Rover shows and was named best car in class at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed
The car will be sold by Bonhams on September 9 at the Goodwood Revival auction in Chichester
The car is one of many used on the Queen and Prince Philip’s tour of Australia
The car remained in Australia for most of its life and was restored there before being taken to Britain
The car has an open back with padded armrests that the Queen and Prince Philip used to wave to the crowd
The Australian leg of the tour lasted 58 days, during which they visited 57 different towns and cities.
They undertook numerous assignments across Australia and used a variety of vehicles including Rolls-Royces, Humber Imperials and Land Rovers.
After leaving Australia, they traveled to the Cocos Islands and then visited Sri Lanka (which was then known as Ceylon).
At the end of April they moved to Aden in Yemen and spent the last days of the month in Uganda before touring Malta in early May, rounding out the overall schedule with a stop in Gibraltar.
Bonhams’ Tim Schofield said: ‘This isn’t the first time Bonhams has sold royal Land Rovers, but this one is particularly special as it’s an early Series I Land Rover and was used on the Queen and Prince Philip’s coronation tour.
“It was one of many cars used on that tour, but we think we found photos of this particular car being used in front of tens of thousands of people.
The Australian leg of the tour lasted 58 days, during which they visited 57 different towns and cities
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh wave to a group of youths from the back of their Land Rover as they arrive at the Children’s Display in Bundaberg, Australia, 19 March 1954
‘It’s also very interesting because it includes developments that were only introduced as standard on later cars, such as the sills to hide the exhaust and the fuel tank.
“The pads at the back – one is quite long, like for Prince Philip, and one is shorter for the Queen.
It remained in Australia for most of its life. It was restored there in 2015-2018 and then bought by the seller and repatriated to Britain.’
The car will be sold by Bonhams on September 9 at the Goodwood Revival auction in Chichester.