The Queen’s former Land Rover that she was seen to drive around Balmoral, sometimes at pace – is due to be sold at auction.
Her Majesty’s 953 Land Rover supplied to The Royal Family at Balmoral Castle is up for auction in February with a guide price of £100,000 – £150,000.
Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 Land Rover Series I (86″) was used by Her Majesty and by The Queen Mother before it was sold to a neighbour in Ballater in 1966.
Silverstone Auctions is offering the vehicle at their next sale, Race Retro, on February 25 at Stoneleigh Park.
The 4×4 was built in late 1953 and registered on the Royal number sequence NXN 1 in early 1954, the 11th example from that year.
The Land Rover has a production chassis number but is considered a pre-production build.
Dispatched to Stratstone London on July 3 1953, the newly proclaimed Queen had the Land Rover shipped to her beloved Balmoral Estate.
NXN 1 was exclusively used by Their Majesties Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother with HRH Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh and then Prince Charles, The Duke of Rothesay until 1966 when it was purchased and re-registered LXC 894D by our vendor in neighbouring Ballater.
Impressive Royal provenance
Rob Hubbard, sales director of Silverstone Auctions, said: “It’s not often that a vehicle with such impressive royal provenance like this is offered publicly for sale.
“It’s special features and royal connections make it exceptionally interesting.
“This Land Rover would doubtless have been used extensively on the Balmoral estate where we know the royals loved to picnic. It would have been a familiar and much-loved part of Her Majesty and Prince Philip’s private lives.”
Having been purchased from the Royal estate in 1966 the Land Rover was stored in a family garage for a number of years.
King Charles III is rumoured to have recognised the unique Land Rover and as a gift funded and encouraged it’s exacting restoration.
The Land Rover was featured on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, and also led the Land Rover parade at the Queen’s Jubilee Pageant last year and consequently, with a TV audience measured in billions.
Mr Hubbard said: “It is probably one of the most photographed Land Rovers in the world.”
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