It probably didn’t escape you that Charles III was be crowned King over the weekend. He was driven from London’s Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace in a golden coach which dates back to 1760. The four-tonne gilded carriage was pulled by eight Windsor Grey horses, and travelled at a walking pace.
Charles is, however, well-known for being an enthusiast of a different kind of horsepower, and his collection of cars is believed to be worth close to £16 million. The new King has inherited two official state Bentleys – each custom built at a reported cost of £10m for his mother’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.
Based on the Arnage, the cars were stretched, had their rooflines raised and were fully armour-plated. Not unlike the U.S. President’s Beast, the Bentleys also have puncture-resistant tyres, blue flashing lights, and a cabin that can be hermetically sealed in the event of a gas attack.
The King’s personal preference is for Aston Martin, though. He owns a 1994 V8 Vantage Volante, and a 1969 MK ii DB6 Volante which he was given by his parents as a 21st birthday gift. Charles’ love of these thirsty British sports cars is somewhat at odds with his views on protecting the planet, so in 2008 he had the DB6 converted to run on E85 bio-ethanol produced on his Duchy of Cornwall estate.
At the Cop26 summit in 2021, Charles explained that the Aston uses fuel created from “surplus English white wine and whey from the cheese process.” While arguably carbon-neutral and able to ease the King’s conscience, gulping down the equivalent of four bottles of wine every mile, doesn’t sound terribly efficient.
Perhaps the new King will go further and electrify his Astons. Specialist Lunaz offers a conversion for the DB6 and with the Crown Jewels now in his possession he could easily afford the £800,000 price tag.
This article was originally published by Hagerty US.
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