Royal Lagonda heads to auction

A 1954 Aston Martin Lagonda 3 Litre Drophead Coupe that was built for the Duke of Edinburgh will go under the hammer on 20 April.

Finished in a bespoke shade of Edinburgh green matched to grey leather upholstery, the four-seater convertible was one of just 20 Mk1 cars made.

Used by Prince Philip as personal transport until 1961, the car will be offered for sale at H&H’s auction at the International War Museum, Duxford.

The estimate of £350,000-£450,000 is at least three times what an ordinary Lagonda 3-Litre DHC would be expected to fetch. But then this one has just 50k on the clock and was used to take Prince Charles to school.

Prince Philip took the Lagonda on a tour of the Commonwealth in 1956-1957 so there are numerous photos of it at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and elsewhere.

The 3-Litre is also featured in several Pathe news films and countless newspapers and magazines from the period.

Special equipment includes a power hood and floor-change gearbox, which were both later adopted for later production examples.

The royal car also featured an extra vanity mirror and a radio telephone. The latter necessitated the Duke of Edinburgh being allocated his own radio frequency by the Admiralty.

A switch on the dashboard and an aerial are all that remains of the radio telephone system, but the Queen’s additional vanity mirror remains in situ as does almost all the original leather upholstery.

In addition to a bodywork restoration and repaint in its correct shade of green undertaken during 1990, the Lagonda has also received mechanical repairs (engine overhaul, back axle refurbishment).

It is offered for sale with a copy factory build sheet and service records citing The Duke of Edinburgh as its purchaser, plus a wealth of fascinating documents.