ROME – Raise your hand if you don’t want to ride a car that belonged to Queen Elizabeth. Because the fact is that in less than 20 days Historic Auctioneers will auction the Jaguar X-Type 3.0 Wagon that her Majesty used when the beloved Land Rover Defender off-road vehicle was not available.
The appointment has been set for next November 26 with no minimum bid, which is likely to attract thousands of would-be buyers. Today the market price of a normal 2009 Jaguar X-Type 3.0 Wagon, like that of Elizabeth II, is around 8,000 pounds, about 9,186 euros. But the fact that it was led by England’s longest-lived sovereign will undoubtedly make the price skyrocket.
The car, with Emerald Fire bodywork and tobacco-colored leather interior, is in good condition and scores 72,544 miles on the totalizer (approximately 116,748 km). Built on the basis of the Ford Mondeo, it has a 230 hp 3.0-liter V6, connected via an automatic transmission to the permanent all-wheel drive system that was part of the standard equipment.
When Elizabeth at 18 was repairing army ambulances
by Marco Tullio Giordana
It is no mystery that Elizabeth was a car enthusiast, just as it is curious that she was the only British citizen who could drive freely without a license. The reason is very simple: driving licenses were issued in the name of her Majesty. As soon as she reached the age of majority, in 1944 she enlisted in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she learned to get her hands on the engine of the Austin 10 HP van and the Austin K2 / Y ambulance.
In addition to the famous Land Rover Defender, 8 limousines between Bentley, Daimler and Rolls Royce are still parked in the Buckingham Palace garage. Plus this Jaguar that Historic Auctioneers will even sell with the “Jaguar Trust”, a certificate with which car brands usually identify their “safe used” …