The British Royal Family and The Automobile - Picture Gallery

The Queen found the practical benefits of a large estate car very appealing. Her Majesty's Ford Zephyr was a popular choice, often used around the grounds of the Sandringham estate  

To mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, The Cartier lawn at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed saw an extensive collection of vehicles used by members of the Royal Family. The collection were categorised into groups including Royal Working Vehicles, State Vehicles and Cars used Overseas amongst others. The cars themselves were owned either by Her Majesty, the wider Royal Family, museums or by governments. It was a great spectacle and interesting to read the stories of how each model played a role in the private and public lives of the Windsor's. Enjoy...

This Ford V8 Pilot was bought by King George VI shortly before his death in 1952. He didn't have much time to enjoy it but the car was bespoke; the chassis was 12 inches longer than normal

This Humber Super Snipe had come back from Australia - the car still had its New South Wales registration attached. The car was used on the Queen's first Commonwealth tour

This Daimler DS420 4.2 Automatic became a favourite of the Queen Mother. The limousine's extras included flashing lights set behind the radiator grille and a powered step to help her into the car. Her crest can be found on the rear doors

This 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan 'Bubbletop' was owned by the US Secret Service and can normally be found today in Ford's museum in Detroit, Michigan. The Queen used it while on a visit to the White House in 1957

This Daimler Super Sport was for a time The Queen's personal set of wheels, often used around the Sandringham estate. Jaguar made some alterations as requested by Her Majesty including an enlarged centre storage compartment. Her handbag had to fit somewhere! 

Prince Philip ordered this 1961 Alvis TD21 SII Drophead Coupe which became one of his favourites. Alterations were carried out by Mulliner Park Ward - the Prince requested that the usual shiny wooden dashboard be replaced with a leather alternative

The Queen rode in this Citroen SM Decapotable during her official state visit to France in 1972. The car was officially signed off for release by former French president Nicolas Sarkozy

The Queen has always been a fan of the traditional Land Rover Defender - they are particularly welcome in Balmoral. One of her older models has seen extensive service over many years in the Sandringham estate covering over 40,000 miles. This model was presented to the Queen at the turn of the Millennium and featured an automatic transmission. It wasn't long before she missed a manual and it was sent back to have one fitted  

This 1969 Austin Princess 4.0 Vanden Plas limousine was a Royal state working vehicle for many years. It was in this car that a kidnap attempt was made whilst Princess Anne was being driven along The Mall after a public engagement in 1974. Ian Ball, a 24 year old man with mental health problems ambushed the motorcade and shot two royal protection officers and ordered Princess Anne to give him £2m. The Princess Royal apparently responded with "Not bloody likely, and I haven't got £2m"

This Vauxhall Cresta Friary estate served a very similar role to the Ford Zephyr mentioned earlier. Vauxhall never officially launched an estate version of the Cresta saloon - the models were sent to Friary Motors of Basingstoke to be converted

Like all Royal state vehicles, this Rolls Royce Phantom V doesn't require to be registered, hence no plates. This model was normally kept aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia to be used around the world on official state visits. The bonnet of this Rolls Royce has been shortened in order for it to fit on the decks of the royal yacht

The Royal toy car collection! Some are pedal powered whilst others use either battery or petrol propulsion. The collection included a 1924 Citroen C4, a 1950 Austin J40, a 1966 Aston Martin DB5 007 replica presented to a young Prince Andrew and a 1988 Aston Martin Volante given to Prince Charles when he visited Aston's Newport Pagnell works. The American Imperial Midget racer was given to Prince Charles when he was a boy and could reach well over 30mph. The caravan was presented to a young Prince Charles and Princess Anne by the Caravan Club in 1955 - Prince Philip reportedly used his Hillman Husky to tow them around Sandringham    

This 1991 Daimler Double Six Series 3 was used by The Queen for private functions. It was painted a unique colour as requested by Her Majesty whilst the standard rear seatbelts were replaced with more dignified lap belts. The car ended up in private hands, the owner only later finding out who the previous keeper was! 

Mercedes have always owned this 600 Pullman and it was regularly used by the German government for state occasions. The Queen used it during an official visit to West Germany. The rear section of the roof can be removed so onlookers can have a clearer view of the VIPs