King Charles’ old Land Rover Defender has been sold at auction, making £60,000 against a top estimate of £50,000.
The vehicle was sold by Iconic Auctioneers at the NEC in Birmingham on Sunday.
It was built in 2010 especially for royal use at the then Prince of Wales’ Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire.
Delivery documents confirmed the car’s purchase. A little extra detective work was required to claim that the off-roader was probably driven by Charles himself – the amount of wear on the driver seat suggests it wasn’t regularly chauffeur driven.
With 25,000 miles on the clock, the Keswick Green vehicle is attractive in its own right.
A new replacement would come in at around £56,000, and one of a comparable vintage could still easily go for £30,000.
The Royal link gave the Land Rover a £42,000 to £50,000 estimate going into the sale.
A Churchill-owned Land Rover, given for his 80th birthday, is among the most valuable models ever sold.
And it exceeded that quite easily. Hammering for £60,000.
It’s by no means the most valuable Defender though.
The 2 millionth produced realised £400,000 at auction in 2015. A model owned by Charles’ father, the Duke of Edinburgh, sold for just under £125,000 in 2023. And one driven by – and extensively altered for – Winston Churchill made £129,000 in 2012.
Land Rovers are highly collectible as classic cars. They are a luxury product these days, but were first produced in 1948 as tough, hard-working vehicles that have a strong association with the British military and with rural life in Britain.
The Royal Defender opened at £25,000, before closing at £67,500 with all fees.
Gary Dunne, sales manager at Iconic Auctioneers, told This is Money: “We knew from Iconic Auctioneers’ previous history of selling cars with Royal provenance that a sensible guide price, in this case £42,000 to £50,000, would generate significant interest in this car, which it did.
“With bidding in the room, online and on the phones, we were not too surprised to see the hammer fall at £60,000.
“We hope the new owner is delighted with their purchase, which we believe will be staying in the UK.”
