Motoring: By Royal Appointment; Mercedes Benz; Range Rover
ONE of the most exclusive set of cars ever to go under the hammer are the star lots at a special auction in the West Midlands next month.
The cars include three formerly owned by members of the Royal Family, including The Queen and Princess Diana.
Pop royalty is also represented with a car once owned by Sir Elton John.
The Jewels in the Crown collection is being sold by Silverstone Auctions at its Classic Motor Show Sale at the NEC on November 12-13.
Headlining the collection is a 2012 Bentley Mulsanne, estimated at between £215,000 and £235,000, produced especially by Bentley for The Queen for her 2012 Diamond Jubilee tour of Great Britain.
The car is finished in Barnato Green, fitted with walnut burr veneered picnic tables, door panels and rear quarter vanity lights and the walnut veneered waist-rails featured inlaid Royal crests. Subtle security features were installed befitting a Head of State’s car, including front and rear blue flashing lights, Kevlar reinforced tyres and armour protection and glass where appropriate. Most famously, it was this Bentley that conveyed The Queen to her only Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in 2012.
Built to the personal specification of The Queen, the collection also includes a unique 2001 Daimler Supercharged V8, which is estimated at between £50,000 and £60,000. The Queen travelled more than 11,000 miles in ‘Y694 CDU’ and at her request, the car features a number of unique modifications including a factory adapted arm rest with a sliding holder specifically designed to hold her particular type of handbag.
Anything connected with the late Princess Diana is always popular with Royal collectors and the car on sale is her 1994 Audi Cabriolet (left), estimated at between £50,000 and £60,000.
The automatic, 2.3-litre Cabriolet finished in Gomera Pearl with Parchment leather and cream carpets was presented to Diana for her personal use by Dovercourt Audi of St Johns Wood, and first registered on March 7, 1994.
She travelled around 4,000 miles in the car, occasionally photographed with Princes William and Harry in the passenger seats. It was purchased in 2013 by the vendor and has only covered a handful of miles since, with the odometer now indicating 21,412 miles.
A quartet of Rolls-Royces feature in the collection including a 1980 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II, formerly owned by Princess Margaret, estimated at between £90,000 and £110,000.
A 2005 Rolls-Royce Phantom first owned by Sir Elton John, is estimated at between £135,000 and £155,000.
However, it’s not just stately limousines that form the collection.
Also going under the hammer is a 1972 Fiat 500L (front), which was once owned by former Prime Minister David Cameron. It was purchased as a surprise birthday present to his wife Samantha and is estimated at between £18,000 and £22,000.
From the world of showbusiness comes a 1987 Bristol Brigand, owned by pop star – and current Strictly Come Dancing contestant – Will Young between 2009 and 2012, and a 1976 Bentley T1 previously owned by film director and restaurant critic Michael Winner.
Nick Whale, managing director of Silverstone Auctions, said: “It’s an honour for (us) to offer cars with such amazing provenance, cars that belonged to HM The Queen, as well as being owned by some of the most influential personalities of the Twentieth Century. We anticipate a huge amount of interest in these cars from across the globe. These cars have been wonderfully cared for over their lifetimes and we look forward to finding them new homes.”
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MERCEDES Benz has added three new engines to its E-Class Estate range to broaden the appeal of the model, which now starts at £36,735 for the E 200 d SE.
The E 350 d SE is priced from £47,255, while the Mercedes-AMG E 43 costs £58,290. The existing E 220 d Estate starts from £38,230.
The 200 d features the latest 2.0-litre diesel engine with an output of 150 hp and CO2 emissions of just 109 g/km. It delivers a claimed 65.7 mpg on the combined cycle. The 3.0-litre V6 E 350 d is said to produce produces 258 hp while delivering up to 48.7 mpg and emitting 140 g/km of CO2.
The Mercedes-AMG E 43 4MATIC Estate features a bi-turbo 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine which generates 401 hp – enabling it to reach 62 mph from standstill in 4.7 seconds. All E-Class engines come as standard with a 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission (with shorter shift times for the E 43).
Mercedes has also placed the V6 3.0-litre diesel engine into its GLC Coupé. The GLC 350 d 4MATIC Coupé can sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 6.2 seconds, but emits 161 g/km of CO2 and delivers up to 47.1 mpg on the combined cycle. It is available from £47,135.
The Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 4MATIC Coupé costs from £50,960. Its bi-turbo 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine produces 367 hp, making for 0-62 mph in 4.9 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.
First deliveries of the E 200 d Estate, E 350 d Estate, E 43 4MATIC Estate, GLC 350 d 4MATIC Coupé and GLC 43 4MATIC Coupé are expected in December.
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THE year 1969 saw the birth of two iconic pieces of engineering – one in automotive design and the other in watchmaking.
In England, a team at Rover, led by Charles Spencer King, unveiled a vehicle that combined the off-road capabilities of a Land Rover with the comfort of the best-appointed saloon – the Range Rover.
Meanwhile in Switzerland, watch manufacturer Zenith presented a fully working prototype of the world’s first self-winding chronograph movement, which it famously called the El Primero chronograph movement, or ‘the first’. Capable of recording elapsed times down to one-tenth of a second thanks to its ‘high-beat’ oscillator, it was the most accurate wrist chronograph ever made.
In the intervening period, both the Range Rover and the El Primero continue to be recognised as class-leaders in their respective fields.
The two brands have now come together in a partnership that celebrates their mutual longevity and shared values in a special edition watch called Zenith El Primero Range Rover.
Aldo Magada, president and CEO of Zenith said: “The match between our two brands is very strong. Zenith and Range Rover are both pioneers in our respective industries, and we both create unique, innovative products. Through timeless design, both brands express authentic luxury. The Zenith team is very excited to start this long-term partnership with Range Rover, another superb brand and kindred spirit.”
Each Zenith El Primero Range Rover will feature a 42mm case made from ceramised aluminium, and like the aluminium architecture of the Range Rover, combines light weight with extreme durability.
JLR said the minimalist aesthetic of the new Range Rover’s dashboard controls were similarly espoused in the clean appearance of the watch, which features a brushed, slate grey dial, three subtle but highly legible chronograph subdials and a robust winding crown paired with easy-to-operate push-pieces.
Turning the watch over, meanwhile, reveals the Zenith and Range Rover names engraved discreetly on both the oscillating weight and the retaining ring for the transparent case back.
“The Zenith El Primero is one of the most distinctive watch designs ever produced, in my view. Therefore, it has been imperative to honour and respect this iconic design. It had to remain unmistakably an El Primero, but allude to Range Rover DNA,” said Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Chief Design Officer.
“We looked to the reductive nature of a modern Range Rover interior and the Zenith team translated that into the dial of the watch, keeping it simple and unfussy. The matt finish simultaneously suggests understatement, sophistication and durability – like a Range Rover, it’s an object you look at and immediately feel an emotional connection.”
He said JLR believed the Range Rover’s particular combination of luxury and performance to be unique, and the new Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic took these qualities to the highest level yet.
“No mechanical chronograph has surpassed Zenith’s El Primero for accuracy or proved its quality over such a long period of time. To me, that makes these two great pieces of design a perfect fit,” he added.
One person to have recognised the functional aesthetic between the two brands is famous British explorer Colonel John Blashford Snell who chose to wear an original Zenith El Primero chronograph while leading a team equipped with two Range Rovers to achieve the first successful crossing of the infamous Darien Gap in 1971/72 as part of the 18,000-mile Trans-America expedition.
