Her Majesty the Queen turns 90 this month, and to celebrate this monumental occasion, Vauxhall Motors has (apparently) custom-built a Royal Astra to pay homage to the 90-year-old British monarch.
From a retractable regal red carpet to a specially designed Corgi booster seat (Vauxhall/Opel is seriously obsessed with car seats), the red Royal ride is fuelled with a variety of “Astra-cratic” (aristocratic) add-ons to ensure Queen Elizabeth II arrives to her birthday party in style.
And it’s not just her Majesty being honoured by this customised car – Vauxhall has gone to great lengths to make sure the Queen’s prized Corgis are suitably looked after in the royal manner with their very own booster seat and a “Corgis on board” sign displayed on the rear windscreen.
The Queen’s Royal Astra is also equipped with her very own windscreen-wiping waving hand, Union Jack cushions and a “Liz & Phil” windscreen sunvisor strip.
Her Majesty has been a Vauxhall owner for more than 50 years, all in Balmoral Green, a bespoke deep green colour not normally supplied by Vauxhall. “MYT1”, Her Majesty the Queen’s 1961 PA Cresta Friary Estate, was a personal favourite, serving the royal fleet and containing a number of interesting features like fishing rod holders built into the roof and a gun rack.
The latest, seventh-generation Astra has recently been recognised as European Car of the Year 2016, further underlining its royal credentials.
Since the Astra’s first landing on Great Britain’s roads over 35 years ago, one in four Brits have owned or driven an Astra, making it a true legend of British manufacturing and an icon fit for a Queen.
Denis Chick, Director of Communications, Vauxhall Motors and Holder of the Royal Warrant for Vauxhall Motors said, “Especially curated in time for Her Majesty’s 90th, we’ve ensured that the next edition to the Royal fleet really is fit for a Queen”.
The Queen’s 1961 PA Cresta Friary Estate was one of Her Majesty’s favourite Vauxhalls.
