On the first anniversary of the passing of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, JLR held a special parade of Land Rovers at the Goodwood Revival in England. Each of the vehicles on show was tied to the late Queen and the Royal Family, with everything from Royal Review Series vehicles to her beloved 2009 Range Rover.
The Goodwood Revival, the annual historic motor race that celebrates the cars and styles of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, fell over the first anniversary of the passing of the late Queen at Balmoral Castle in Scotland last year. Nine Land Rover models that represented the length of the brand's history with Elizabeth II did a circuit of the Goodwood track in tribute.
The earliest vehicle featured was Series I 80" prototype L31, which was once pictured with Elizabeth II's father King George VI in the early development stages. There were several review vehicles that the Royals use in parades and military reviews, including a Series II, two Range Rover Classics, and the latest diesel-electric 2015 model. Several iconic private Royal vehicles too part, including Prince Philip's Series III 109 station wagon JYV 1D, the Queen's V8 Defender 110, and a station wagon Defender 130 nicknamed "Jumbo" used at Sandringham for outings and specifially lent to the parade by King Charles III.
Perhaps the most interesting vehicle present was Elizabeth's 2009 Range Rover, a dark green diesel model. Though the vehicle itself was not as remarkable as the older Series vehicles or the review vehicles, it's the Land Rover most tied to her later years. She took a very strong liking to the Range Rover, and there are countless photos of her both driving and riding in it, right until her final months. Though it has become somewhat iconic (including meme-grade images of the diminutive Queen peering over the steering wheel that became part of the public consciousness), this is the first time it has been displayed in a historical context.
Two more vehicles were on static display. One was a Series I State Review vehicle, which went with The Queen and Prince Philip on their first Commonwealth tour. The other was a Series I 80" ordered by King George VI and used by the Royal Family at Balmoral.
As the seventy-year second Elizabethan era fades into history, the Goodwood celebration was a touching way to make one more connection to the late Queen, whose reign overlapped with the vast majority of Land Rover's history and was inextricably intertwined with it.
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