Wanderlust

Tag: British Royal Family

  • Aston Martin Commences Use of New Royal Warrant by Appointment to His Majesty The King

    Aston Martin Commences Use of New Royal Warrant by Appointment to His Majesty The King

    • Aston Martin’s proud association with the Royal Family continues with granting of a new Royal Warrant
    • King Charles III’s new Royal Arms now applied to Aston Martin’s branding, representing the first time the marque has served by appointment to the British sovereign

    [source: Aston Martin]

    Gaydon, England – For the first time in the marque’s rich 112-year history, Aston Martin’s iconic wings will proudly sit beside the royal Coat of Arms of the British sovereign, having been awarded a Royal Warrant by Appointment to His Majesty The King.

    “Our appointment by His Majesty represents a truly proud and historic moment for Aston Martin, reinforcing the longstanding and esteemed relationship we hold with the Royal Family,” said Adrian Hallmark, CEO of Aston Martin.

    “Displayed with pride across our branding, the Royal Warrant is a testament to the dedication of our employees and our unwavering commitment to the values of British design, craftsmanship, and engineering excellence. Principles that His Majesty has steadfastly championed.”

    Whilst official confirmation of the new Royal Warrant came in May 2024, only now has Aston Martin formally applied the prestigious Royal Arms to its branding, following release of the new Royal Coat of Arms of King Charles III by the College of Arms. Founded in 1484 the College of Arms is responsible for creating and maintaining official registers of coats of arms and pedigrees. The heralds who make up the College are members of the Royal Household, and act under Crown authority.

    The granting of a new Royal Warrant follows Aston Martin being honoured for innovation with the King’s Award for Enterprise in 2024. It continues Aston Martin Lagonda’s eight-decade long history with the Royal Family, dating back to 1954, when Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, took delivery of a three-litre Lagonda. The following year, Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin, the Duke of Kent, acquired a DB2/4 from the Aston Martin team that had won the 1955 Monte Carlo rally. But it is The King’s beloved DB6 Mk2 Volante that has remained an icon of the Royal Family’s long association with the marque and Aston Martin’s hand built British sports cars.

    The King has been a member of the Aston Martin Owners Club since 1973, with Aston Martin holding a Royal Warrant as a Motor Car Manufacturer and Repairer to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales since 1982 and now carries the arms of the sovereign for the first time.

    In more recent times, the DB6 Mk2 Volante took centre stage of the wedding of the current Prince and Princess of Wales in 2011, with the sight of the Royal Couple departing down The Mall in an Aston Martin thrilling thousands of cheering onlookers. And in 2020, as Prince of Wales, His Majesty officially opened Aston Martin’s new state of the art DBX SUV manufacturing facility in St Athan, Wales, a move that saw manufacturing commence of the first production car built in the country for more than 50 years.

    In 2022, the same car provided a grand entrance for The King and Queen to the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. While more recently, in 2024 it was proudly displayed at Sandringham during a gathering of the Aston Martin Owners Club, which saw more than 75 Aston Martin models grace the royal residence. A fitting celebration for a brand now decorated by royal appointment to the monarch.

    About Aston Martin Lagonda: 
    Aston Martin’s vision is to be the world’s most desirable, ultra-luxury British brand, creating the most exquisitely addictive performance cars.

    Founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, Aston Martin is acknowledged as an iconic global brand synonymous with style, luxury, performance, and exclusivity. Aston Martin fuses the latest technology, time honoured craftsmanship and beautiful styling to produce a range of critically acclaimed luxury models including the Vantage, DB12, Vanquish, DBX707 and its first hypercar, the Aston Martin Valkyrie. Aligned with its Racing. Green. sustainability strategy, Aston Martin is developing alternatives to the Internal Combustion Engine with a blended drivetrain approach between 2025 and 2030, including PHEV and BEV, with a clear plan to have a line-up of electric sports cars and SUVs.

    Based in Gaydon, England, Aston Martin Lagonda designs, creates, and exports cars which are sold in more than 50 countries around the world. Its sports cars are manufactured in Gaydon with its luxury DBX SUV range proudly manufactured in St Athan, Wales. The company is on track to deliver net-zero manufacturing facilities by 2030.

    Lagonda was founded in 1899 and came together with Aston Martin in 1947 when both were purchased by the late Sir David Brown, and the company is now listed on the London Stock Exchange as Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc.

    2020 saw Lawrence Stroll become the company’s Executive Chairman, alongside significant new investment. This coincided with Aston Martin’s return to the pinnacle of motorsport with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team and commenced a new era for the iconic British marque.

  • Feature: Queen Elizabeth’s State Review Land Rovers In Class of Their Own at Pebble Beach

    Feature: Queen Elizabeth’s State Review Land Rovers In Class of Their Own at Pebble Beach

    With a few new creative classes, the Pebble Beach Concours is showing it can evolve into the future and be even more relevant to younger generations. It gets there by embracing car trends that came after the golden era cars that typically grace their greens. And had you wandered past the homologation car arrangement and 70s wedge class, you’d have rolled up on the first SUVs ever to occupy real estate at this vaunted event. Were they worthy, well they each belonged to Queen Elizabeth and were presented by Defender and Range Rover.

    JLR’s association with the Royals goes considerably far back, and is an official supplier for their vehicles.

    “It was amazing to witness Her Majesty’s ten Land Rovers and Range Rovers rolling past the front door of The Lodge at Pebble Beach and pulling on to the famed fairways of Pebble Beach Golf Links – and I was honoured to greet them there. Crowds were astonished and delighted. Later in the day, the vehicles were an impressive sight parading across our show ramp during the Awards Ceremony – to great applause.,” commented Sandra Button, Chairman of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

    We took particular interest in a segment of the display that included a line of Defenders and Range Rovers painted very similarly. Each was a deep and dark red-purple, with thin pin stripe and with royal coat of arms on the door. These cars were official royal service vehicles known State Review or Royal Ceremonial State vehicles. Each were built by Land Rover to specification for the royals for use in the given period ordered. As you can see, there’s a distinct lineage and these vehicles can see service for many years.

    Walking past each generation Royal Ceremonial State, it was clear there was a shared specification. Wanting to learn more, we reached out to representatives at JLR and learned some interesting details.

    The color of these cars is known as “Claret”, though sometimes called “Royal Claret”. This traditional royal color actually pre-dates the automobile and was used on state carriages. It is reserved only for vehicles in Royal service, meaning neither Land Rover nor JLR have ever offered it on a civilian model.

    The first State Review Land Rover was built on a 1954 Series 1 and featured a custom rear platform. It traveled with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on a six-month tour of the British commonwealth. It even made its way to Australia in that time, though today resides in the U.S. where it is owned by a private collector.

    This next State Review vehicle was the first Range Rover to carry to serve in such capacity and was built on a 1974 model. It was used from 1975 to 2002, with a modified rear that featured foldaway seats and a lectern with concealed umbrellas. An additional exhaust silencer was also fitted. This vehicle is currently housed in The Royal Collection at The British Motor Museum in Gaydon, UK.

    The third State Review Vehicle was based on a 1990 Range Rover. This particular vehicle was notably featured in the photo chosen by the Queen herself for her 1994 Christmas Card. That photo depicted the Queen and Prince Philip aboard the Range Rover attending the 50th Anniversary the D-Day landings in Arromanches. It is also part of The Royal Collection at The British Motor Museum.

    The fourth in this State Review vehicle series is a 1998 Range Rover P38A. Built by Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations, it replaced the previous 1990 State Review Range Rover and featured a rear platform design now featuring four foldaway seats rather than the previous two.

    The fifth and final State Review vehicle on display at Pebble Beach is this 2005 Range Rover L322. Again built by Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations, this vehicle was notably used to transport the then Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry during Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday parade in 2016.

    We have to say, while we understand why JLR has no interest in building a Queen Elizabeth-specification Royal Claret Range Rover, that doesn’t make us want one any less. Special thanks to the team at JLR North America who entertained and provided answers for our very specific questions in regard to these vehicles.

  • Final Mulsanne Adds a Royal Touch to Bentley Heritage Collection

    Final Mulsanne Adds a Royal Touch to Bentley Heritage Collection

    • The last Mulsanne to be built comes home to Crewe, after service with Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
    • Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase commissioned by the Queen, in Barnato paint with a Twine and Cumbrian Green interior
    • Joins Bentley’s Heritage Collection, to live alongside the second production Mulsanne built (2010) and pinnacle Mulsanne Speed (2019)
    • Unique interior features – including a custom cubby for a handbag – define a cherished vehicle
    • The Heritage Collection now comprises 45 cars spanning the company’s 104-year history

    [source: Bentley]

    Crewe, England –  Bentley Motors today announces the most recent and prestigious addition to its rejuvenated Heritage Collection – a bespoke 2020 Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase, the final example of the Mulsanne handcrafted at Bentley’s Dream Factory in Crewe, which has now returned home after service with the Royal household.

    The last Mulsanne was commissioned by, and built for, Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and includes a range of bespoke features to ensure the car was fit for royal duties. The starting point was an exterior in solid Barnato green (barnatogreen; metallic UNI; 6602 / 9561028 / LK6A; Bentley), paired with an interior in Twine and Cumbrian hide, Burr Walnut wood veneers and deep lambswool carpets. To this, the specification added rear privacy curtains and the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom inlaid into the door waistrails, while the front centre armrests were removed in lieu of a custom-sized tray to accommodate the Queen’s handbag. 

    Discretely concealed blue police lights, a siren and a bullhorn were also installed, with a dedicated switch panel hidden beneath a walnut-veneered door behind the gear lever. 

    Bentley’s famous 537PS 6.75-litre V8 engine, 21” alloy wheels and chrome brightware for the grille and front wing vents and the iconic Flying B complete the car, which will be retained as the third and final Mulsanne in Bentley’s Heritage Collection. It will join the second Mulsanne ever built, VIN 0002 from 2010, and a 2019 Mulsanne Speed that previously saw service on Bentley’s press fleet. The three Mulsannes are part of an expanded 45-car Collection, 2.5 years into a three-year programme to completely rebuild a family of cars that together explain and describe Bentley’s 104-year history.

    A History of Mulsanne

    Launched at Pebble Beach in 2009, the Mulsanne was developed from scratch, housing a new variant of Bentley’s 6.75-litre V8 engine, a new chassis, as well as new exterior and interior designs.

    In 2016, a new Mulsanne was launched at the Geneva Motor Show, with the car further raising the standards of luxury with a redesigned interior – featuring new seats, door trims, armrests, navigation technology and a brand new infotainment system. The front end of the car was also upgraded with new grilles, lights and a new bonnet.

    Alongside the new Mulsanne in 2016, Bentley also launched the Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase, with a 250 mm extension of the Mulsanne’s footprint enabling space for an ornate folding table, centre console, electronic leg-rests and privacy curtains to deliver the best in class luxury experience for the rear-seat passengers.

    Bidding farewell to the Mulsanne in 2020, the final 30 series production cars formed the unique ‘6.75 Edition by Mulliner’, with the name derived from the car’s legendary 6.75-litre engine – which also came to the end of production alongside the Mulsanne after more than 60 years.

    The Mulsanne was in production for over a decade, with each of the 7,300 cars handcrafted at Bentley’s factory in Crewe.

    The Bentley Heritage Collection

    Bentley’s Heritage Collection now consists of 45 cars, from the oldest Bentley in the world (the 1919 3-Litre EXP2) through to the 2021 Continental GT Speed, with some of the most extraordinary Bentleys ever made representing every decade of the company’s 104-year history. 37 road registered, road legal cars describe the development of the Bentley model range over the same period, bolstered by eight of the most famous motorsport and record-breaking vehicles – including three Speed 8s, both generations of Continental GT3, and Pikes Peak and Ice Speed Record cars.

    All of the cars in the Heritage Collection are maintained and on display at Bentley’s carbon neutral Dream Factory in Crewe, England. Customers, VIPs, media guests and Bentley colleagues are all able to view the company’s history through the Collection as part of the factory tour experience.