[imagesource: The Telegraph]

Queen Elizabeth II was the only person in Britain who was legally allowed to drive without a valid driving licence.

But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t perfectly qualified or well equipped.

Not only was she a mechanic and driver in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Second World War, but she also managed to collect a host of royal cars, each of which traces the history of British motoring, per The Telegraph.

Of course, there are the obligatory Bentleys and Rolls-Royces befitting of a sovereign, but then there are also the more unusual vehicle choices for a queen.

Like the 1953 Land Rover Series 1:

Her late Majesty had a long association with Land Rover beginning in the 1950s with this rather rugged workhorse, known by the Royal household as a ceremonial vehicle State IV:

Unregistered, it was shipped around the world with six other vehicles as part of the royal couple’s six-month Commonwealth tour early in her reign. They stood on a platform at the rear while a chauffeur crunched through the Land Rover’s notoriously awkward gearbox.

The Series I Land Rover lasted from 1948 until 1956, followed by slightly improved Series 2 and 3 variants until the stalwart workhore was gradually superseded by a new off-roader called the Range Rover.

To my untrained eye, the 1955 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV State Landaulette looks the most regal:

With unique coachwork, again by Hooper, this ever-so-regal state car was completed in Rolls-Royce’s golden jubilee year. The company’s first eight-cylinder production model, the 5.7-litre straight-eight was retained at the Royal Mews from 1959 until 2002.

Only 18 examples were made, with Queen Elizabeth’s version complemented by dark blue and grey cloth upholstery, special heating and ventilation, plus a security radio incorporating exterior speakers and an underbody aerial.

The trusty, long-wheelbase Daimler V8 Super Saloon LWB was Queen Elizabeth’s personal transport for three years. It covered 17 700 kilometres in that time from 2001:

The colour is British Racing Green and it had an armrest with a sliding holder, designed to carry her particular style of handbag.

The Queen enjoyed many other luxury vehicles, which you can read all about here. Yesterday, her coffin was transported in a William Purves hearse:

The black five-door Mercedes-Benz E-Class hearse by German coachbuilder, Binz, carried Queen Elizabeth’s coffin from Balmoral to Edinburgh on Sunday.

Strangely, though, the branding of the funeral director mysteriously vanished midway through the journey, reported The Telegraph:

William Purves displayed its logo on the hearse in front of the coffin when it left Balmoral just after 10am on the six-hour journey to Edinburgh.

The advertisement, which appeared to be a window sticker, was still visible as the hearse drove through Aberdeen at 1.05pm. But by the time the vehicle reached Dundee at 3.15pm, the logo had gone.

It seems the logo was taken off while the vehicle was being refuelled because the company’s website had crashed after TV viewers were probably Googling the brand.

Of course, you can count on the Queen to make a massive impression, even in death.

[sources:telegraph&drive]