Thrifty Queen Elizabeth only drives her Bentley Arnage for special occasions. Well, technically she only rides in it really (but that is a different story). The Bentley State Limousine is the official state car for her royal highness and if you have never seen it, she's a real beauty.
Custom built by Bentley for the world's most famous celebrity senior citizen Queen Elizabeth II back in 2002, it was a gift for her at the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
According to Motor Revolution, "The vehicle’s twin-turbocharged, 6.75-litre V8 Engine has been modified from Bentley’s Arnage R version to produce 400 hp (300 kW) and 616 lb·ft (835 N·m) of torque. Maximum speed is 130 mph (210 km/h) so it’s not slow despite it’s size. The State Limousine is three feet (91.44 cm) longer than a standard Bentley Arnage, 10 inches (254 mm) taller, and six inches (152.4 mm) wider. It is equipped with broad coach doors that open to the rear almost 90 degrees. British textile manufacturer Hield Brothers produced the Lambswool Sateen cloth used for the upholstery of the rear seats."
Only two of these ultra-luxe exotic cars were ever built, making it a highly collectible automobile and more rare than a Rolls-Royce Phantom IV. Only 18 of those were built for royal family members and world wide heads of state.
The most fun part of the Queen's Bentley?
The roof has been raised over 2 inches above the typical luxury automobile design... and you will never guess why.
To accommodate her hats.
That custom feature could come in handy should the royal family elect to party-down and cruise around town in lavish costumes on Halloween.
[The car was also used as transportation for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, so it has historically come in handy to provide space, ample leg room and head room for gents and ladies dressed in ways that are out of the ordinary.]
Her Majesty's royal wheels were, "the first ceremonial Royal vehicle to have been developed using the latest computer aided design techniques and will be the first ever Bentley in the Royal fleet..." says Classics.com.
By only riding in it for limited miles, not only does she preserve and protect the value of the luxury exotic car by keeping miles low, she also keeps pollutants down -- her tiny move to save her kids and grandchildren some valuable trust fund money and the environment at the same time?
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