Queen Elizabeth’s 1984 Daimler Double Six is one royal ride

Imagine the Queen Mum behind the wheel of a 1984 Daimler Double Six Series 3 Long-Wheelbase Saloon, intently peering over the steering wheel and gunning it through the streets of London or carving up a British carriageway—or, better yet, testing her driving skills at Shelsley Walsh or the Goodwood Motor Circuit.

OK, so none of that ever happened (that we know of), but wouldn’t it be great if our favorite elderly monarch had driven the Daimler in white-haired, white-knuckled anger? Wait, at 93 does she even bother to get angry anymore? We digress. The simple fact is, Her Majesty The Queen drove the Gavin Green beauty, and most of us would be properly chuffed to own it.

Now, here’s your chance. RM Sotheby’s is offering, without reserve, Queen Elizabeth II’s unrestored ’84 Daimler Double Six LWB at its London auction on October 24. The pre-auction estimate is £50,000–£70,000, which is roughly $61,600–$86,300.

The 12-cylinder Daimler was delivered “new” to Buckingham Palace in October 1984 to serve as QE2’s personal car. We say “new” because after it was built at Jaguar’s Coventry facility, the Daimler was extensively road-tested by factory engineers over roughly 2000–3000 miles to ensure that it was, as RM puts it, “nothing less than perfect upon delivery.”

According to RM, the Queen drove or was driven in the Double Six for three years, transporting her to local and low-profile engagements. And she most definitely drove the thing. There’s photographic proof.

The Daimler continued to be used by family members and the Royal Security for years before it was returned to the factory with approximately 29,000 miles on the odometer. The Daimler remained in Jaguar’s corporate ownership until it was sold to the consigner for $77,000 at RM’s 2010 Monterey auction. That price falls squarely into the estimate for the current auction.

Considering that the Daimler was the Queen’s ride, it isn’t surprising that the car was equipped with every available option when new. “Bespoke items include a blue convoy light fitted in front of the rear-view mirror to enable security teams to identify the car more easily at night and to be more visible in the event of a security threat to the Queen,” RM says. “A full-length rear seat cushion was installed in lieu of the standard twin cushion—for the comfort of HRH’s three pet corgis to ride more securely and comfortably. For official use, the fog lights flash at regular intervals.”

The most recent auction of a QE2-owned automobile was at Bonhams’ 2018 Goodwood Revival sale, where her 1955 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV State Landaulette went for $1,033,806, which was 29 percent above its #1-condition (Concours) value at the time ($805,000).

Want to know the best way to boost the Daimler’s hammer price at RM? Find a photo of a helmeted Queen Elizabeth, her majestic brow furrowed in focused determination, charging for the checkered at Silverstone. That would be so barmy.