A 2007 Discovery 3 (known as an LR3 in North America) delivered new to King Charles III when he was then the Prince of Wales went up for auction in the UK, with a winning bid of £12,050.
A 2007 Discovery 3 (known as an LR3 in North America) delivered new to King Charles III when he was then the Prince of Wales went up for auction in the UK, with a winning bid of £12,050.
The D3 (we'll speak the local language here) is almost fully loaded, though as the North American market didn't get the lower-end specifications that the rest of the world did, to our eyes it looks more or less like a normal LR3 HSE, with the only obvious missing feature being wood trim. The vehicle is powered by the 2.7-liter, 6-cylinder diesel that is common in other markets; the 4.4-liter V8, durable and venerated on this continent, is actually somewhat uncommon on a global scale.
The vehicle's provenance is proven with a letter in the documentation, from Land Rover's Director of Royal and Diplomatic Affairs. It was written to the Head Chauffeur to the then-Prince of Wales and then-Duchess of Cornwall, and states that the vehicle was delivered to the King's residence at Highgrove House, Gloucestershire. The King bought Highgrove in 1980 and has made it his primary country residence since.
The Discovery was leased to the royals, which is a common procedure -- the Royal Family gets low-priced leases for their large fleet, and Land Rover gets the brand association of their vehicles being driven by them. After the lease expired, the vehicle went for private sale, and it has now had two owners before being put up for auction.
The Disco is in pretty good condition, with the biggest wear item being a tear in the driver's seat bottom, and a worn-out driver's seat heater -- both common issues on the model. Of course, considering The King once sat in that seat, there's no real reason to replace it...is there? The vehicle has almost 118,000 miles, and with a Tonga Green over black leather colorway, is one of the smarter-looking LR3/D3 aesthetics.
The price of £12,050 (just under $15,000 US dollars) is not a terrible deal for the mileage and condition of the vehicle, based on UK market trends. It's one of the first vehicles with ties to King Charles III to go on auction during his reign, and whoever drives it to a Coronation party in May has a story to tell!
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