Celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee by buying her 1993 Rover Sterling
A 1993 Rover Sterling 827 once believed to have been owned by Queen Elizabeth II is going under the hammer.
A 1993 Rover Sterling 827 sold new to an undisclosed owner at Buckingham Palace – believed to be Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – is set to go under the hammer in the UK this weekend.
As Great Britain ramps up celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee (70 years), online collectable-car auction site Car & Classic is listing the British Racing Green Rover with its exacting provenance suggesting the car belonged to Her Majesty herself.
Delivered new in 1993 by Royal-approved car dealer Thomas Day Motors, the Rover 827’s paperwork states that the car was delivered only to “Buckingham Palace” without the owner’s name on the paperwork.
Royal protocol deems that cars delivered to Buckingham Palace usually also include the recipient’s name, unless it is Her Majesty the Queen, in which case the paperwork merely shows “Buckingham Palace” as the new owner.
Maintained meticulously, the Rover 827 is described as being in “original” condition with “virtually undamaged leather and wood” interior trim. The Rover’s 2.7-litre V6 engine has also been meticulously maintained while the car itself has been stored in a temperature-controlled facility.
The car comes with all paperwork and documentation including delivery notes and invoices as well as OEM handbooks and manuals. Options fitted to the Rover include a boot liner, a spare wheel, original tool kit and a factory-fitted CD changer.
The car was sold by Buckingham Palace via a Royal-approved dealer to its current owner with the description “one previous lady owner”.
“Even if there was no Royal connection at all, the original, excellent overall condition of this Rover would be of interest to the classic car connoisseur,” says Car & Classic Head of Editorial Chris Pollitt.
“British modern classics of the ’90s are, in general, enjoying a deserved renaissance, but this particular 1993 Rover Sterling strikes a special note within the current Jubilee celebrations, and would be the ultimate anniversary gift to one’s collection.”
The Rover 800 Series was Britain’s answer to the executive sedan segment, dominated by German brands Mercedes-Benz and BMW. On sale from 1986-99, the Sterling was co-developed by Honda where its underpinnings found life under the Honda Legend.
In all, around 317,000 Rover 800s were manufactured between 1986 and 1999 with sales peaking in just its second year on sale – 1987 – where 54,434 examples of the executive mid-sizer rolled off the production line. Other notable owners include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Her Majesty is no stranger to cars and lists amongst her current and former cars a Bentley Bentayga, a variety of Range Rovers, various Bentleys and Rolls-Royces, a Land Rover Defender, and even a humble Vauxhall Cresta Estate which she ordered new in 1961 and featured several custom modifications including fishing rod holders, a gun rack, and a dog carrier for her beloved corgis.
As of 2020, this personal favourite of the Queen’s remained in the royal collection at Sandringham.
The online auction for – implicitly – Her Majesty’s 1993 Rover Sterling 827 ends this weekend.
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