The British royal family has had a strong relationship with cars since the automobile was first manufactured in England. The cars currently used by the royal family are divided into a few distinct categories. State cars are generally custom limousines, used for special occasions. State royal review vehicles are customized vehicles used for presenting the royal family to the public during parades or ceremonial duties.
Semi-state cars are used by the royal family for less formal functions. These vehicles typically belong to the Crown, but members of the royal family may also drive personal cars of their own that they have purchased or received as gifts.
In the contemporary era, four British automakers currently hold royal warrants to produce vehicles for the family: Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, and Aston Martin. According to an inside source at an auto company, the provisions for being granted a royal warrant are top secret.
Moreover, one of the central tenets to holding a royal warrant is maintaining complete confidentiality in discussing what exactly is involved. So, no scoop here. But in the 21st century, the family shifted its attention to rival ultra-luxury British automaker Bentley. Based on the then flagship Arnage model, they feature the classic black-over-claret exterior paint long associated with royal conveyances. They also sport up-powered V8 engines, necessary to motivate the extended length and height of the vehicles, as well as the weight of their armor plating and blast resistance.
So quick that the young Prince hired two-time Formula 1 world champion racer Graham Hill to tutor him how to drive it on the track. Charles continued to love and own the car throughout the past 55 years, but his commitment to environmentalism caused him to convert the car to run on a special biofuel made from the refuse of the English wine and cheese production industries.
