Jaguar Land Rover, British auto marques honor Queen Elizabeth II

MANILA: People all over the world were devastated by the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8 at the age of 96. She was the longest-living and longest-reigning monarch in British history — and was reportedly an avid driver.

Jaguar Land Rover sent the Royal Family its condolences. The automaker has a history of working with the Windsors and is in possession of a Royal Warrant, which entitles it to promote itself as a provider of goods to the family.

In a Tweet on Thursday, the British manufacturer saluted Queen Elizabeth II. "The passing of Her Majesty The Queen has left everybody at Jaguar Land Rover deeply saddened, and our thoughts and condolences are with the Royal Family at this time,” the carmaker wrote.

The Queen received a new car from Land Rover in June as part of their celebration of her Platinum Jubilee, but it was not for her to drive. The British automaker gave the queen one of its newest Defender 130 SUVs to dedicate to the British Red Cross, whose patronage she held.

Prince Phillip's coffin was transported to St. George's Chapel at his funeral in 2021 in a vintage Land Rover Defender that he helped construct. Prince Phillip was the spouse of Queen Elizabeth II.

The future Queen Elizabeth enlisted in the British military at the age of 18 as a member of the women's Auxiliary Territory Services. She was the first member of the Royal Family to join the military, operating army ambulances and picking up heavy vehicle maintenance skills on the front lines.

The Princess' military service was highly regarded by the British public, despite some initial resistance from her father, King George. She was called Princess Auto Mechanic in the press.

Even as she became older, Her Majesty was regularly pictured driving one of her numerous Royal Land Rovers that she had had customized, each of which had her distinctive Labrador hood ornament. Queen Elizabeth II deviated noticeably from the customary protocol of British Royals, who typically elect to be chauffeured around by drivers.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is said to own a 2002 Land Rover Defender, a Land Rover Range Rover Hybrid Landaulet, and a 1953 Land Rover Series I in addition to the Land Rover Defender 130 that is used by the British Red Cross.

The Queen is also said to have owned a number of Rolls Royce Phantom cars and the Bentley State Limousine.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender 130, an all-terrain vehicle that can accommodate up to eight persons in three rows of full-size seating, joined the highly regarded Defender 90 and Defender 110 this year in the all-conquering family of all-terrain vehicles.

A total of eight customers may easily travel across any surface with the new 130 body style, which was also inspired by the longest model in the Defender family and is named after them.

The largest humanitarian organization in the world, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), is one that Land Rover is happy to support since 1954. Experts from the IFRC's worldwide fleet base in Dubai participated in Defender's global testing program.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender 130 comes standard with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission and Land Rover's Intelligent All-Wheel Drive (iAWD) system. The iAWD technology efficiently and effectively controls the powertrain and power distribution between the front and back axles to enhance on-road efficiency and all-terrain capability.

Capabilities of the Defender on all kinds of terrain is built on Land Rover's monocoque D7x construction, which is heavily reliant on aluminum. With torsional rigidity of 25kNm/Degree, the Defender is three times more rigid than conventional body-on-frame designs. Additionally, it houses the iAWD system, twin-speed transfer box, and fully independent air suspension.

The Electronic Air Suspension, which is operated via a switch panel inside the tailgate, allows the Defender 130 to tow up to 3,000kg, making hitching easier. Towing is also simplified with detachable and multi-height towbar designs.

To commemorate the Queen's first fifty years on the throne in 2002, the Bentley State Limousine was designed with input from the Duke of Edinburgh, Her Majesty's Head Chauffeur, and Her Majesty herself. Queen Elizabeth II rode this expensive vehicle for official events during her reign. Only two examples of the State Limousine were made.

The Queen thanked the crowds that greeted her, but for many people, their only chance to see her was a glimpse of a Royal car slowly moving by. The Bentley State Limousine was created with a "panoramic glasshouse" design to provide better visibility from the exterior for this reason.

This indicates that it is broader and taller than the production Bentley Arnage on which it is based, in addition to being more than 80 centimeters longer. In reality, the car is high enough for Her Majesty to enter and exit it without having to kneel. This is made further simpler by the fact that the doors have a rear hinge and open at a 90-degree angle.

A mount point on the roof allows for an illuminated coat of arms and a pennant, and the Bentley State Limousine also has flashing blue lights installed inside the radiator grille and on the front bumper for when it needs to travel fast through traffic.

Even though it may seem implausible, Queen Elizabeth II was always protected from harm because she was formerly the head of state. All of the car's bodywork and glass have been strengthened specifically for this purpose. The cabin can be made airtight in the event of a gas attack and is blast-resistant. Kevlar has been used to reinforce even the tires to ensure that it can still be driven quickly in an emergency.

In celebration of the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II this 2022, McLaren Automotive has unveiled a bespoke Jubilee platinum paint finish and emblem. This came 18 years to the day since the Queen inaugurated McLaren's global headquarters in Woking, England, the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC).

Queen Elizabeth II, who was Britain's longest-reigning monarch, was honored with a specially produced platinum silver "Platinum Jubilee" paint. It was matched to the materials used in a special badge designed by McLaren Special Operations (MSO), McLaren's in-house bespoke department.

Both features were unveiled on a one-off model of McLaren's new high-performance hybrid supercar, the Artura.

In a statement, MSO Managing Director Ansar Ali said, “It has been an honor for MSO to create a new platinum paint in celebration of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee this year. This special paint, which will be available for customers to select for years to come, will be a fitting tribute to mark this historic milestone.”

The state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will be held on September 19 in London.

Photos from The Royal Family, Getty Images, Bentley, Land Rover, McLaren

Also read: Eight-seater adventurer: Meet the Land Rover Defender 130