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Ahead of King Charles Coronation this weekend, we look back at the King's high profile relationship with the Iconic Aston Martin Brand.
Although King Charles III and The Royal Family obviously
drive other famous brands such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Land Rover and
even Ducati, there’s a relationship with Aston Martin Lagonda and its cars that
dates back to the late Queen’s reign.
This arguably reached its zenith at the wedding in 2011 of Prince William and Catherine Middleton when Prince Charles lent his DB6 Volante to the young Prince to drive from the reception at Buckingham Palace to the nearby St. James’s Palace.
This DB6 Mk2 Vantage Volante was given by the Late Queen to the then Prince Charles on the occasion of his 21st birthday in 1969. King Charles an outspoken supporter of sustainability and Environmental change in 2008 had the car converted by Aston Martin Works Service to run on bioethanol fuel produced from the waste products of wine and cheese.
Prince Charles was an enthusiastic driver and greatly enjoyed his blue DB6 Mk2 Vantage Volante. In a state visit to the UK in 1986 the late Emir of Bahrain gifted the then Prince Charles a V8 Vantage Volante. King Charles decided to have the car built himself to his own specifications. King Charles requested the V8 Vantage Volante have a more reserved body styling but maintain the performance of a Vantage. This included the car not having the large front air dam, flared wheel arches, or side sills that were common on other V8 Vantage models of the time.
Naturally many people wanted to acquire a replica of the King’s V8 Vantage Volante when it was commissioned by King Charles and the car went on to became known as the Prince of Wales (POW) with only 27 examples built, now highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts of the marque, around the globe.
King Charles kept the car for 8 years and in 1995 the car was sold at auction for £111,500, with the proceeds going to the charity he founded in 1976 The Prince’s Trust.
In the early 1994 King Charles’ association with Aston Martin continued when the King was gifted from Aston Martin, a Virage Volante . Whilst the car was still owned by Aston Martin, King Charles used the car for a number of years, including for official engagements and personal trips, including a road trip to Scotland. The car was again built to his own specifications, with a standard ‘narrow’ body but with a 6.3-liter engine with a five speed manual gearbox. The only extra option on the interior was the sugar cub holder in the center armrest for his horses’ treats.
Today King Charles still owns his beloved DB6 Mk2 Vantage Volante and with it being a gift from his mother, the Late Queen, its unlikely to ever come to market and remains as a cherished memory of his mother and our Late Queen.
