- A Vary Rover was offered for $165,000 after proof emerged that it most likely belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.
- The SUV’s worth jumped 302% after footage emerged linking the car to the Queen.
- Historics Auctioneers mentioned the late Queen’s possession of the SUV was possible.
A 2004 Vary Rover with suspected ties to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has shattered public sale information, promoting for $165,000.
The savvy vendor found video footage of HM Queen Elizabeth II behind the wheel of what might be the exact same Vary Rover, per That is Cash. The clip, captured throughout a 2005 occasion, confirmed the monarch navigating the car along with her distinctive quantity plate clearly seen. This discovery set the stage for the SUV’s record-breaking public sale.
The public sale’s consequence was greater than double the pre-sale estimate of £60,000, or $75,000 — 10 occasions the same old value for a second-hand Vary Rover that outdated.
The eventual sale value of $165,000 at an public sale in Birmingham, within the UK, was a document for a 2004 Vary Rover. It marks a 302% leap in worth in simply 4 months. The SUV was initially bought in July for £33,002, roughly $41,000.
Earlier than the video’s discovery, the one authentic possession data was a letter from Jaguar Land Rover, which builds the Ranger Rover, figuring out guarantee remembers in July 2004 at a Land Rover seller in London’s high-end Mayfair district and one in Aberdeen, Scotland.
It was the closest franchised Land Rover dealership to the Balmoral Property within the Scottish Highlands, the place the Royal Household holidays between July and September, the eagle-eyed purchaser deduced, per That is Cash.
Historics Auctioneers, who initially marketed the automotive, mentioned in an announcement: “The vendor of the Range Rover had invited anyone possessing photographic/video evidence of Her Majesty with the vehicle to get in touch, which Historics notified in its auction catalog description. Regrettably, this was not forthcoming before the July 22 auction and thus the vehicle was sold with probable royal provenance.”
The 19-year-old Vary Rover, presumed to have been part of the Queen’s non-public fleet and commissioned by Land Rover Particular Car Operations in 2004, is completed in Epsom Inexperienced paint with Sand Conceal leather-based inside, per That is Cash. The car has coated 109,675 miles and encompasses a complete service historical past.
The Vary Rover is exclusive from its counterparts due to modifications ordered forward of the late Queen’s presumed possession.
These embody a singular entrance grille with covert blue lights, a change pack to manage mentioned lights, entrance, and rear seat covers, a canine guard for the Queen’s corgis, a load area mat, aspect steps, and mud-flaps. Specs tailor-made to Her Majesty’s automobiles embody twin rear window switches and rear seize handles.
As well as, filler within the automotive’s bodywork signifies the place royal motifs and communication techniques may as soon as have been hooked up.
A 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine powers the car.
Rob Hubbard, Managing Director of Iconic Auctioneers, commented on the historic sale: “This sale highlighted once again what makes for a success at auction: the best of the breed, rarity, and celebrity associations.”
In February, a Land Rover Defender constructed to an exacting specification requested by The Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen’s husband — who died aged 99 in 2021 — offered at public sale for a world document determine of £123,750.
The Queen died at Balmoral Citadel final yr. Her automotive assortment was estimated to be value £10 million, or $12.5 million.
The Royal Household has a long-standing historical past with Vary Rovers. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, spent 16 years designing his personal hearse: a modified Land Rover. The modified SUV carried his coffin in a procession throughout Windsor Citadel throughout his funeral in 2021.