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The Queen appeared as a stoic monarch, what she loved most was driving. In July 2021, at the age of 95, she got behind the wheel of her faithful dark grey Range Rover, recognizable by the Labrador mascot curiously stuck in the middle of the hood, to go to the Royal Windsor Horse Show to see her horses run.
During Elizabeth's childhood, the automobile was never far away. As a child, she and her sister received a Citroënette, a 1926 children's cart, made in France. It was a replica of the C4 Citroën powered by an electric motor and could reach 15 kilometers per hour. The toy was later passed on to Prince Charles. For her 18th birthday, the princess received a Daimler DB18 from her father, King George VI.
During the Second World War, the future queen served as an ambulance driver in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she acquired a strong mechanical knowledge. She knew how to take off a wheel, adjust the ignition advance, dip her hands in grease and take the wheel of primitive ambulances.
Elizabeth's favorite terrain was off-roading. In fact, she was more Land Rover than Bentley or Rolls-Royce. Her favorite vehicle? A Defender 110 turbodiesel, a rustic machine that shakes its occupants to their core but can cross the worst potholes, almost climb trees and usually ends up covered in mud. The sovereign would sometimes take distinguished guests on a discovery safari through her Scottish estate of Balmoral in her Land Rover, which was, however, fitted with heated seats.
Celebrated as an authentic car enthusiast by the powerful Royal Automobile Club, Elizabeth II accumulated an impressive collection of vehicles during her reign, valued at 10 million pounds (11.5 million euros, at current prices) in 2017
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