Evaluation: Used by the Ministry of Defence starting in 1968, and nine years later conveyed Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip during their tour of Northern Ireland during the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. It has since been in private collections, used for photo shoots at a wedding venue, and made a couple of trips to the Goodwood Revival. It’s currently in the condition of a scruffy, used Land Rover with paint rubbing off the aluminum body in plenty of places, a few dents here and there, and aged gauges and controls. The engine compartment looks a mess as well. Still, a cool bit of history.
Bottom Line: Bonhams’ catalog description for this royal Rover is frustratingly brief, but does call it a “piece of Roya memorabilia.” That is indeed a very fitting description, because nobody is going to take such a parade vehicle off-road or do any the things you normally do with a Series Land Rover. It’s been a wedding prop and a Goodwood regular, and it’s hard to think of many uses for it outside of that. Royal vehicles sell for wide-ranging prices depending on the vehicle and how it was used, but this result is within its estiamte range and seems like a reasonable number given the fun factor and the little piece of history it represents. A regular Series IIA in this condition would have sold for a fifth of this price or less.
