Rover P5 that transports Margaret Thatcher for the first time as Prime Minister sells for £45k
The chauffeur-driven car carrying newly elected Margaret Thatcher in 1979 to Buckingham Palace to visit the Queen as the nation’s first female Prime Minister will be sold to the highest bidder later this month.
The 1973 Rover P4 was expected to sell for between £35,000 and £45,000 when the hammer fell at the Silverstone Auctions event held on 27 August.
The black saloon with license plate GYE 329N was one of only three Rovers used for commuting during this period – but it was the only one carrying the Iron Lady as a passenger.
The chauffeur-driven car that carried newly-elected Margaret Thatcher to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen in 1979 is being auctioned off this month – and is expected to fetch £45,000
Image of Mrs Thatcher in a Rover P5 leaving Buckingham Palace on 5 May 1979 shortly after becoming Britain’s first woman as Prime Minister
Rover has been tasked with converting special vehicles for government missions, including wiring for police stations and installing navigation lights and flashing red lights for traffic.
A year after it was used to bring the late Thatcher to Buckingham Palace, it was taken out of service and sold into private ownership.
Retiring shortly after taking power, Rover went private in 1980 with a then-record mileage of around 76,000, with about 17,000 miles recorded since.
Silverstone Auctions said it ‘remains in exceptional condition to this day’.
It has recently had a fresh coat of paint and a completely reworked engine and transmission, however, and most importantly, the original ‘conservative’ interior has been preserved.
The current owner is a vintage car fanatic and needs to sell some of his collection as it is growing too big.
The Minister’s Rover P5 was moved from the Conservative Party headquarters at Westminster to the Palace shortly after Mrs Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister
The salesman is said to be a classic car enthusiast who needs to clean up his already-too-large collection
The 1973 Rover P5 recently got a fresh coat of paint and a completely reworked engine and transmission. however, and most importantly, the original ‘conservative’ interior remains as it was in 1979
Rover has been commissioned to convert special vehicles for government duty, including wiring for the police station and installing red flashing lights and kits.
The Rover, with a 3.5-litre engine, is being sold at the auction house’s Classic and Race Car Sale held in Warwickshire.
With a great historical record and proven provenance, so much so that it was recently featured in the September issue of Classic & Sportscar Magazine, the Rover is arguably a fascinating classic saloon in its own right. it.
However, the auction house believes the connection between Mrs Thatcher and the fact that it was used to take the Iron Lady on her maiden voyage as our Prime Minister adds a ‘certain trail’.
Margaret Thatcher with her husband Denis photographed outside 10 Downing Street in 1979
A year after it was used to bring the late Thatcher to Buckingham Palace, the Rover P5 was decommissioned and sold into private ownership.
Silverstone Auctions says the Rover is an attractive classic saloon in its own right but the unique Margaret Thatcher connection means it could be more appealing to collectors
Charles Smalley, of Silverstone Auctions, said: ‘It’s the exclusivity of the piece that makes it so special, no other collector can say they have the car she took to Buckingham Palace.
‘You can’t go and find another one.
‘I’m sure there will be interest from collectors of Margaret Thatcher memorabilia or from experts in that field, museums can also have a lot of interest.’
Mrs Thatcher is not the only Prime Minister who likes the Rover P5; Harold Wilson liked it so much that he customized it with an ashtray for his pipe.
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