Heads turn as the car glides to a halt. With its burnished claret bodywork, purring engine and silver mascot standing proudly on the front, this is clearly no ordinary city runaround. A glance inside explains it all: the passenger is The Queen on her way to an official engagement.
Royal cars are very special vehicles. Used for public engagements and some ceremonial occasions, they must transport their passengers in a style which is safe, efficient and dignified, allowing as many people as possible to see The Queen or other members of the Royal Family. Built to unique specifications, they are also vehicles of great historical and technical interest in themselves.
The present fleet, garaged in the Royal Mews near Buckingham Palace, contains five State vehicles: two Bentleys and three Rolls-Royces. There are also a number of people carriers and private cars for Royal Household and personal use.
The newest cars in the fleet are two Bentleys. Built by a Bentley-led consortium of British motor industry manufacturers and suppliers, the first car was presented as a gift to mark The Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002. A second car was purchased in 2003 to provide additional service.
Unique in their form and construction, the Bentleys were designed from scratch. The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and the Head Chauffeur provided input so that the vehicles would fulfil their Royal duties as closely as possible.
As well as being powerful and reliable enough to carry Royal passengers smoothly and swiftly, the cars take other factors into account. Visibility is important. For many people, a glimpse of a Royal car driving slowly by may be their only opportunity to see The Queen or a member of the Royal Family. The Bentleys are fitted with a removable exterior roof covering which exposes a clear inner lining, giving an all-round view of their Royal passengers.
The rear doors are designed to enable The Queen to stand up straight before stepping to the ground. Hinged at the back rather than the front, the doors also allow bystanders and photographers to see The Queen as she leaves the car, allowing easier entry and egress.
The Bentleys are also the first Royal State cars to use a monococque construction, rather than the body-on-chassis method of the Phantom series of Rolls-Royces. This means that the transmission tunnel runs underneath the floor, without encroaching on the cabin, allowing greater use to be made of the vehicles' interior space.
Technical details show how different the Bentleys are to standard cars. The Bentleys are 6.22 metres long, nearly a metre longer than a standard Bentley Arnage. At 3.84 metres, its wheelbase is 1.3 metres longer than that of an average family sized saloon. The engine drives a standard, four-speed GM 4L80-E gearbox, which directs power through up-rated driveshafts to the rear wheels.
Although they have a powerful engine, the Bentleys, like any other cars, are subject to normal speed restrictions. On processional occasions, they travel at around 9 miles per hour, and sometimes down to 3 miles per hour.
Inside, the Bentleys are streamlined and elegant. The rear seats are upholstered in Hield Lambswool Sateen cloth whilst all remaining upholstery is in light grey Connolly hide. Carpets are pale blue in the rear and dark blue in the front. There is a CD player, but gadgets are not a priority.
While the two Bentleys handle most of The Queen's official duties, other Royal cars are in use for other members of the Royal Family and on ceremonial occasions.
In 1977 the UK Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders presented The Queen with a Phantom VI Rolls Royce, which has now covered over 125,000 miles. In 1987, Bentley produced a modified Rolls Royce Phantom VI limousine, specially adapted to accommodate a higher roofline and larger windows for State use.
The oldest car in the Royal fleet is a 1949 Phantom IV Rolls-Royce, which was used by Princess Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh. It features a straight eight engine and a Mulliner body. Despite its age, the car is in fine condition, and is still used for occasions such as Ascot.
All the State cars have certain features which make them instantly recognisable. Famously, the Bentleys and Rolls-Royces do not have registration number plates, since they are State vehicles.
All the Royal cars have fittings for an illuminated shield bearing the Royal Coat of Arms and the Royal Standard when The Queen is being driven inside. Fixed at the front of the car is The Queen's official mascot. Designed for her by the artist Edward Seago in the form of St George on a horse poised victorious over a slain dragon, it is made of silver and can be transferred from car to car. Driving in Scotland, The Queen uses the lion mascot formerly used by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
The Duke of Edinburgh's mascot, a heraldic lion wearing a crown, is adapted from his arms. The late Queen Mother's mascot featured a figure of Britannia on top of the globe, which was originally made for King George V's Royal Daimlers; it is now in use by The Prince of Wales.
While Royal cars do not clock up vast distances on the road, they have travelled widely. Even if The Queen travels to an official engagement by train, helicopter or plane, she will generally travel by State car upon arrival in a new town; the car is driven to the location ahead of her arrival. For State visits, Royal cars and chauffeurs have travelled as far afield as Moscow.
Cars are kept in the Royal Mews in purpose-built garages. In charge of the fleet of cars is a team of eight chauffeurs, whose task is to drive members of the Royal Family, senior Royal Household employees, and official visitors from one place to another. Each chauffeur is allocated one or two cars, and it is their responsibility to keep them clean, polished and valeted.
While there are no petrol pumps at Buckingham Palace, filling pumps at Windsor Castle and other Royal residences allow the cars to be refuelled. A number of Royal Mews vehicles have now been converted to run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) - a more environmentally friendly fuel than petrol or diesel. Adapted vehicles include the two Bentleys, a Daimler and a Metrocab (a London taxi) used by The Duke of Edinburgh to travel to his engagements.
Yet despite their special form and purpose, in many ways Royal cars are just like any others. They are liable to the Congestion Charge, payable by all cars which drive within central London. They need road tax, regular MOTs and insurance. They must follow all the rules of the road. And even a special police escort can't prevent The Queen's car being held up in traffic from time to time.
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