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Books Models Highlights Cars
of 1998 |
Car
of the Month - January 2002 |
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Her Majesty The Queen will be celebrating Golden Jubilee in 2002 and kindly accepted the gift during her Jubilee by a Bentley-led consortium of British Motor Industry manufacturers and suppliers of a new working car - a Bentley State Limousine. Similarly H.M. The Queen had been provided with a new State Car about a quarter of a century ago. During Silver Jubilee from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) came the generous suggestion to arrange for a one-off Rolls-Royce Phantom VI to be made as No. 1 State Car. That car's coachwork showed a very high roofline with a Perspex dome for the rear compartment which protected the occupants from the elements though made it light and with good visibility. Aluminium outside covers - used when more privacy was required - were neatly stowed in the boot.
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Photos: Rolls-Royce Motors / Pastouna-Archive |
Rolls-Royce
with meticulous attention to detail had arranged for special issues of “Owner's
Handbook” and “Chauffeur's Handbook” (print-run was limited to two
sets each, one set handed over with the car, one set stored as reserve at
the factory) and only these contain drawing no. S729 “Fig.22 Dome Cover
Stowed”. The handbook informed about the controls in the centre arm
rest, too. It housed the air conditioning controls and the radio, and
under a folding lid with in-built mirror a small compartment for the stowage
of oddments including a dictation machine with spare cassettes and spare
batteries.
Noticeable
among the unique features on H.M. The Queen's motor car are the special
George and Dragon mascot for the radiator cap, a blue police light plus
boss for an illuminated Heraldic Shield and a separate trap door for the
Royal Standard are positioned in the roof's centre panel above the
windscreen. The personal mascot of St. George slaying the dragon is only
used with H.M The Queen on board the car; otherwise it is substituted by a
Spirit of Ecstasy mascot. These special items are interchangeable with the
other Royal Rolls-Royce motor cars. The paint scheme for the new Phantom
VI was black over Royal Claret, as previously.
