After 30 years in storage and a couple of stints as a wedding car, a Rolls Royce used by Queen Elizabeth II is up for auction in Auckland.
Webb’s auctioneers in Auckland are set to put the 1963 Rolls Royce Phantom V under the hammer on August 11.
The stately 6.2L black sedan was built and outfitted by Rolls replete with all the trimmings fit for a monarch before it was shipped to New Zealand and used in the late Queen’s 1963 and 1970 Royal Tours, according to an online listing posted by the auction house.
A 1963 Rolls-Royce Phantom V used by Queen Elizabeth II on her 1963 and 1970 New Zealand tours will be auctioned by Webb's on Sunday, August 11, 2024 in Mt Eden.
Its current owners have owned the regal vehicle for 40 years, Webb’s said.
They used it throughout the 1980s as a wedding car before it was placed into storage in the 1990s.
The long black four-door sedan remained in storage for 30 years before emerging again for another stint as a wedding car, lasting three years.
Queen Elizabeth at the St James Theatre in Auckland on February 7, 1963. Photo / NZ Herald archives
“Our vendor, an engineer by trade, removed it from storage and carried out some remedial work to make it roadworthy again,” Webb’s said.
“The car remains in a state similar to when it carried Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, and Princess Anne while in the country and is an immensely well-documented piece of tangible royal and New Zealand history.”
The original tan leather interior of the Rolls Royce Phantom remains.
The car is fitted with a body by British coachbuilders H.J Mulliner Park Ward befitting the needs of royal travel, Webb’s said.
“An excellent example of a post-war Rolls-Royce in its own right, this Phantom V lacks no elegance, engineering acumen, or history,” its listing said.
“It has lived an important professional life over its 83,167mi [133,844km] travelled and is now ready to be admired in its retirement by a marque enthusiast, history lover, or collector.”
The stately vehicle is on the market for the first time in four decades.
The auction house said a “wealth of archival evidence” to support the stated origin of the car, including phototgraphs and newsreel footage showing the vehicle.
Webb’s posted a price estimate of $175,000 to $200,000 for the Rolls Royce, set to be auctioned on Sunday, August 11 at 33a Normanby Road, Mt Eden.
"This example is fitted with an elegant H.J Mulliner Park Ward body and is specified for the comforts of royal travel," Webb's says.
