TWO HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT CARS WITH LINKS TO LORD MOUNTBATTEN AND WINSTON CHURCHILL FOR SALE AT CLASSIC CAR AUCTIONS SUNDAY 24th MARCH.
Two cars that once carried men who led the British Empire for decades – Winston Churchill, when First Lord of the Admiralty and Lord Mountbatten when based on the Isle of White – come to sale with Classic Car Auctions on Sunday 24th March at the NEC Birmingham for the 2024 Practical Classics and Restoration Show Sale.
One gets a strange frisson seeing these cars side by side as the two men they once carried were at first particularly close colleagues and then had a falling out over independence for India.
Mountbatten was a favourite of Winston Churchill. On 27 October 1941, Mountbatten replaced Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Keyes as Chief of Combined Operations Headquarters and was promoted to commodore. His duties in this role included inventing new technical aids to assist with opposed landings. But when Lord Mountbatten became the last Viceroy of India, Churchill expected him to keep India as a British colony. Lord Mountbatten soon realized there was no hope for this, and Lord Mountbatten supported India as an independent country. Churchill eventually forgave Mountbatten, but it took a long time.
This 1975 Rover P6 has led a remarkable life. The former Hampshire Police car was resprayed black as the official staff car of Earl Mountbatten of Burma, then used by the Chairman of a County Council, then abandoned in a piggery and finally sympathetically restored and back in police uniform. Now for sale at an estimate of £15,000 - £20,000.
In May 1975, this manual gearbox, 161bhp, V8-engined P6 3500S was supplied by Wadham Stringer in Southsea directly to Hampshire Constabulary in Winchester where it was prepared for duty as a high-speed patrol car. Apparently, when at motorway speeds with a fully, equipment-laden boot, the front of the car would tend to lift, leading to Rover developing a front 'splitter' which cured the problem and became a standard fitment.
In 1978, the car was quietly requisitioned and became Earl Mountbatten of Burma's official staff car when he was in the Isle of Wight. For security reasons, it was registered to the local Fire Chief and it was repainted black at Mountbatten's request as he felt that was more fitting for official duties. After his unfortunate demise, the Rover was allocated to the County Council and continued to be used by the Chairman until eventually, in 1982, it was sold into private ownership.
The Rover, still in black, changed hands several times, presumably with later owners having no idea of the car's remarkable history, until eventually it was found abandoned in a piggery in Eastleigh in the late 1990s. At this time, the car's restoration commenced, being treated to panels, a new engine, police equipment including the triangular roof box and of course being repainted in its original police uniform livery. Since its restoration, it's been a popular vehicle whilst on display at numerous shows and was also a cover car for Classic 999 Magazine's August 2004 edition.
1939 Daimler DE27 Limousine | GUIDE PRICE: £15,000 - £20,000
Potentially a very significant car in the history of both Daimler and British Admiralty, this first of its kind Limousine may well have been the conveyance of the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill himself. Offered with No Reserve but estimated at £15,000 - £20,000.
Given the fact that many records of the time were lost due to WWII, and the Daimler factory lost during the Blitz of 1940, much of the history of this car is shrouded in mystery. In 1938, Alvis, BSA and Morris were competing for a War Office contract to build a number of Scouting Vehicles. BSA were eventually successful and were awarded the lucrative contract in early May 1938 to build 172 'Scout Cars' with the actual production being carried out by Daimler (part of BSA). Coincidentally, Daimler began construction of a prototype limousine, the DE27, which used an enlarged version of the scout car engine and when it was finished in July 1939 it was sold, or possibly gifted to the War Office, perhaps as a bit of a 'thank you'. #51291 was subsequently allocated to the Admiralty for the use of Sea Lords and senior personnel and carried the Naval registration, RN 01 08.
There is a lot of information about this important car, both before and after its discovery, and it's worth interested parties spending some time at the auction having a look at the Rover's fascinating history file.
In a somewhat controversial decision, Winston Churchill returned to the Admiralty as First Sea Lord when war was declared on September 3rd 1939 and would remain there for eight months until he became Prime Minister on 10th May 1940. As the First Sea Lord, he would undoubtedly have used the most prestigious vehicle from the Admiralty 'pool' when on official business, however, we understand that senior Naval Officers and politicians were always chauffeured.
An historical file prepared for our vendor confirms that #51291 was sold in 1947 to the Iranian Embassy in London (reg. LLT 422) and was later purchased by the Irish Fine Gael Party for their Deputy Leader. It subsequently changed hands in Ireland, registered as ESU 148, where it remained until its sale at auction for £12,500 in late 2016, returning to England.
With in excess of £20,000 invested in mechanical works, including internals, suspension and much more, the car now requires external bodily restoration. The vendor hopes that the buyer of the car can finish off the restoration of this significant car – both in terms of the history of Daimler but also the history of the Royal Navy and her most significant Statesman.
More details about both these two cars and the other 220 lots in the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show Sale can be found at www.classiccarauctions.co.uk. In person viewing is available at the NEC from 10am on Friday 22nd March and 9am on Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th where our team of specialists will be on hand to answer any queries. Registration for bidding is now open on the Iconic Auctioneers website or by emailing
CCA specialise in the sale of 'Everyman' classics and aim to make buying and selling a classic car as easy and as straight forward as possible.
If you are interested in exploring advertising with us, I encourage you to get in touch. Please feel free to contact me directly, and I will be more than happy to provide you with further information, answer any questions you may have, and guide you through the process.
Nick Aylieff | Classic Motors For Sale |
