The Bentley State Limousines are

official state car An official state car is a vehicle used by a government to transport its head of state or head of government in an official capacity, which may also be used occasionally to transport other members of the government or visiting dignitaries from ot ...

s manufactured by

Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...

for the late

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

on the occasion of her

Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...

in 2002. The two cars produced were in service for the Queen up until her death in 2022. They have most recently been in service for

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

. The

Princess Royal Princess Royal is a substantive title, style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a United Kingdom, British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of th ...

used the car while accompanying the Queen's coffin. Both cars are kept in the

Royal Mews The Royal Mews is a mews, or collection of equestrian stables, of the British Royal Family. In London these stables and stable-hands' quarters have occupied two main sites in turn, being located at first on the north side of Charing Cross, an ...

Description

The vehicles' twin-turbocharged, 6.75-litre V8 engines have been modified from Bentley's Arnage R version to produce and of torque. Their maximum speed is . 2002 Bentley State Limousine rear

The State Limousines are longer than a standard Bentley Arnage, taller, and wider. They are equipped with broad coach doors opening to the rear by almost 90 degrees. Opaque panels over the rear window of the cars can either be installed for added privacy or removed for added visibility of the occupants. For protection of the occupants, the bodywork and glass are armoured, the cabin can be sealed air-tight in case of gas attack and is also blast-resistant, and the tyres are

kevlar Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed by Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s a ...

-reinforced. 2002 Bentley State Limousine driver

The Bentleys are used mostly on official engagements, and are always escorted by a selection of marked and unmarked

Royal Protection Squad The Protection Command is one of the commands within the Specialist Operations directorate of London's Metropolitan Police Service. The command specialises in protective security and has two branches: Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP), pro ...

vehicles and local police vehicles and motorcycle outriders. The motorcade usually includes a support vehicle to carry staff and aides, which was previously a silver

VW Transporter The Volkswagen Transporter, based on the Volkswagen Group's T platform, now in its seventh generation, refers to a series of vans produced for over 70 years and marketed worldwide. The T series is now considered an official Volkswagen Group aut ...

minibus, until replaced by a black

Mercedes V-Class The Mercedes-Benz Vito is a mid-sized light commercial vehicle (LCV) produced by Mercedes-Benz, available as a panel van, chassis cab, or multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), carrying cargo or up to eight passengers. In the Mercedes-Benz van lineup, it ...

in 2019. Both minibuses used the registration plate 1 KUV. The Queen also used the Bentleys to travel to and from

Crathie Kirk Crathie Kirk is a small Church of Scotland parish church in the Scotland, Scottish village of Crathie, Aberdeenshire, Crathie, best known for being the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at the nearby ...

when at Balmoral, and

Sandringham House Sandringham House is a country house in the parish of Sandringham, Norfolk, England. It is one of the royal residences of Charles III, whose grandfather, George VI, and great-grandfather, George V, both died there. The house stands in a estate ...

. Up until her death in 2022, she typically used the Bentleys on the rare occasions that she travelled abroad, but also used other state cars or a vehicle provided by her hosts. Like all British state cars, the Bentleys have a mount on the roof for an illuminated coat-of-arms and a pennant, which can be inserted from inside the vehicle. These usually feature the royal coat-of-arms and the

Royal Standard In heraldry and vexillology, a heraldic flag is a flag containing coats of arms, heraldic badges, or other devices used for personal identification. Heraldic flags include banners, standards, pennons and their variants, gonfalons, guidons, an ...

respectively, although other symbols can be used for occasions such as a state visit. When carrying the Queen the Bentley "Flying B" bonnet ornament was replaced, either by the Queen's personal mascot of

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

slaying the

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

made by the artist

Edward Seago Edward Brian Seago, RBA, ARWS, RWS (31 March 1910 – 19 January 1974) was an English artist who painted in both oils and watercolours. Early life The son of a coal merchant, Seago was born in Norwich and attended Norwich School. He was a se ...

, or, in Scotland, by a single standing

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

. The Bentleys are equipped with flashing blue lights, two within the radiator grille and two mounted on the front bumper. The State Limousines neither have nor require

number plates A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate (American English), or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or Trailer (vehicle), trailer for offi ...

. The Bentleys are painted claret and black, in keeping with all British state vehicles. In January 2009, it was announced that the Bentley State Limousines would both be converted to run on

biofuel Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. According to the United States Energy Information Administration (E ...

. The vehicle was showcased at the 2013 Coronation Festival in Buckingham Palace Gardens. The two limousines are said to be valued at £10 million each.

Production

British textile manufacturer Hield Brothers produced the

lambswool Lambswool is wool which is or shorter from the first shearing of a sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the ...

sateen Sateen is a fabric made using a satin weave structure, but made with spun yarns instead of filament. The sheen and softer feel of sateen is produced through the satin weave structure. Warp yarns are floated over weft yarns, for example four ove ...

cloth used for the upholstery of the rear seats. The unique bodywork was built by Bentley's Mulliner coachbuilding division. Only two of these vehicles were built, making it even rarer than the

Rolls-Royce Phantom IV The Rolls-Royce Phantom IV is a British automobile produced by Rolls-Royce. Only eighteen were made between 1950 and 1956. They were only built for buyers whom Rolls-Royce considered worthy of the distinction: the British royal family and heads ...

, of which just 18 were built for royalty and heads of state.

References

External links

Bentley State Limousine for H.M. The Queen

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's London HQ in the Bentley State Limousine {{Bentley timeline 1998 to date Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II Bentley vehicles, State Limousine Royal vehicles Road transport of heads of state Limousines Individual cars

Description

Production

See also

References

External links