By Classic Yorkshire Correspondent, Tony Lofthouse.
It’s no secret that our new King is passionate about classic cars but one make, in particular, is a real favourite.
The Midlands-made Aston Martin can boast a royal connection to King Charles going back over fifty years.
His love for this great British icon began when his parents gave him the keys to a DB6 Volante Mk2 convertible, finished in Seychelles Blue. A gift for his 21st birthday.
The DB6 model was launched in 1965 and had a top speed of 152mph.
As a passionate ‘green’ advocate, in 2008, the then Prince Charles had the car converted to run on bioethanol fuel and was proud to reveal it was produced from the likes of surplus wine and whey from the cheese process. The biofuel is blended as E85 by adding 15% unleaded petrol.
In 2011, this rare Volante convertible was driven by his eldest son, Prince William, to whisk his new bride, Kate Middleton, away after their wedding reception.
Charles’ birthday gift was quite a jump in luxury from his first car, an MGC GT fitted with a 3.0 litre straight-six engine.
In 1973 Charles joined the Aston Martin Owners Club and in the late eighties he was gifted his second Aston Martin.
The 5.3 litre V8 Vantage Volante was given to him by the Emir of Bahrain. The Prince would be closely involved in its specification from choosing the British Racing Green paintwork to the mushroom leather interior trim and insisting on a manual gearbox. He also tweaked the body kit design to make the final vehicle less showy.
Aston Martin claim they were so impressed with his personal refinements that they made another 27 cars in the ‘Prince of Wales spec’ for admiring clients, with five built for the US market.
His third Aston Martin, a V8 Virage Volante, was leased from 1994 to 2007 from the company’s Newport Parnell works. This special-order version came with a 500bhp 6.3 litre engine.
It was later sold by Bonhams in 2019 for £235,750.
Why the love for Aston Martin? The Prince said: “It was one of the great British cars”….. “I adore the design and lines.”
Today, King Charles is regularly taken in an electric car to royal engagements and but in his spare time he can enjoy a stunning classic car collection which includes a Jaguar E-Type, Porsche 911 and a Bentley Continental GT.
Thankfully, he still has time to enjoy taking his treasured 1969 Aston Martin for drives with Camilla, the Queen Consort.
To find out more about our royal families favourite cars click www.gq-magazine.co.uk/lifestyle/article/royal-family-car-collection