So you want an exclusive car?

They don't come more exclusive than this one! The Independent reports:

As second-hand motors go, it is the most regal set of wheels on the market. A luxurious Jaguar used by the Queen as her personal car for driving herself around the grounds of the Windsor estate, and shuttling back and forth to Buckingham Palace, has been put up for sale.

The monarch's daily runabout, which is painted in an appropriately patriotic shade of British racing green and was used by her between 2001 and 2004, was modified by Jaguar to suit a set of specific royal needs. After all, not many Daimler Majestic V8s have a driver's arm rest specially adjusted to ensure it fits the Queen's Launer handbag, so it stays upright when travelling to the polo.




The car's "extras" include a special console of switches to control flashing strobe lamps and blue emergency convoy lights, and a secure telephone link to Downing Street and the Home Office, presumably for use in times of national emergency rather than to register a complaint about the latest set of roadworks on the M4 or a snarl-up on Windsor High Street.

The motor, which had a list price of £65,000 and was leased to the Royal Family's most senior driver, has been released from Jaguar's collection of royal vehicles after the Queen acquired another car from the company and it was deemed surplus to Buckingham Palace's requirements.

Peter Ratcliffe, an Ascot resident and specialist memorabilia dealer who bought the car from Jaguar and is now offering it on the open market via a website, hmthequeensdaimler.com, told The Independent: "It's a truly unique vehicle. There is nothing else out there, or ever going to be out there, that you can buy and say this was the personal car of the Queen of England, specially built for her."

. . .

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the latest departure from its car pool, which still includes eight state limousines (two Bentleys, three Rolls-Royces and three Daimlers), several Volkswagen people carriers and a London taxi fuelled by LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). And what price for the ownership of a royal gas guzzler? Mr Ratcliffe will not be drawn other than to point out that he recently sold the Queen's previous S-plate Daimler for a "substantial sum" to a Japanese collector.

Purchase does not include a hotline to No 10. The secure phone equipment was removed prior to sale.

There's more at the link.

I don't know what the exclusivity cachet might be of driving Her Majesty's car . . . but I'm sure there are social climbers galore who'd like to own it!

Peter