The British royal family has a long history with Land Rover vehicles, regularly seen moving
around in the latest Range Rover.
That tradition goes back to 1953 when a Land Rover Series I was registered under
registration number ‘NXN 1’, and dispatched to Stratstone in London on July 3, 1953.
Queen Elizabeth II then had the car transported to the Scottish Balmoral Estate in 1954,
where it was used exclusively by Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, the Queen Mother and
the current King Charles.
In 1966, the Land Rover was sold to its current owner in nearby Ballater, a short distance
from Balmoral, re-registered under registration number LXC 894D and kept locked up in a
family garage for a number of years.
Silverstone Auctions, responsible for the sale, reports that Prince Charles financed and
encouraged restoration of the vehicle, after noticing the poor condition it was in after a
long period of disuse.
The precious Rover boasts a number of unique features and was used, among others, at
Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee last June.
Given the millions of television audiences that watched the event, this is probably one of
the most photographed Land Rovers in the world.
It is estimated the vehicle will fetch £100,000-150,000 when it goes to auction at
Silverstone Auctions as part of the Race Retro Classic and Competition Car Sale on
February 25.
