Bidding for the stately saloon has already reached US$50,000
Another royal ride has just gone up for grabs.
A 2001 Daimler Majestic that was owned and driven by Queen Elizabeth II is currently up for auction through Bonhams. The late monarch never hid her love for fine automobiles and this saloon is easily one of the more unusual that had a spot in her garage during her 70-year reign.
If you’re not an Anglophile you’d be forgiven for not being familiar with the queen’s vehicle, even if it does look awfully familiar. Daimler, which is separate from the German auto company of the same name, is a respected British coachbuilder that has been owned by Jaguar (and its various parent companies) for much of the last 60 years. For a sizable chunk of that time, Jaguar used Daimler much in the way Mercedes uses Maybach, as a sub-brand for its most luxurious builds. And the Majestic, which is basically a rebadged Jaguar XJ, firmly qualifies as one of these vehicles.
The queen was very particular about her cars, and her Majestic is no different. It’s finished in British Racing Green, one of her preferred colours, over a Cream leather interior, according to the listing. The cabin was further personalised with polished wood inlays, green contrast stitching, matching floor mats, and a special tray for her trademark handbag in the centre console.
The four-door is equipped with a range-topping 4.0-litre V-8 mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. The mill produced up to 282 hp, allowing the car to accelerate to 100km/h in seven seconds and to reach a top speed of 240km/h. Those numbers are pretty decent for a saloon from the era, though we imagine the car was rarely pushed to its limits. The Majestic was in the queen’s possession until 2007, at which point it was returned to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust. The vehicle covered 26,000km since leaving the factory, the vast majority of which seems to have been put on it by the queen and her husband, Prince Phillip.
The Queen’s Majestic will be on the block until Monday, April 29. With four days left to go, bidding has topped £40,000 (around US$50,000), which is in line with past auctions of the royal’s vehicles, but we also wouldn’t be surprised to see it climb even higher.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA
