Thatcher’s Jag

Armoured Jaguar that served as Margaret Thatcher’s last car – and which was also used by David Cameron – sells at auction

Offered with an estimate of £15,000 to £20,000 ($19,800 to $26,400 or €17,600 to €23,600), an armoured Jaguar XJ8 used by Margaret Thatcher sold at auction yesterday for £37,500 ($49,900 or €44,200).

The 2006 long wheelbase saloon, the last official vehicle allocated to the late Baroness Thatcher by The Government Car Service, a division of the Department for Transport, was paid for by HM Treasury and funds raised from its sale will go back to the department.

Christie’s South Kensington sold the vehicle as part of their annual ‘Out of the Ordinary’ sale. It was part of a collection owned by a Jersey based collector named David Gainsborough Roberts and featured armoured enhancement including titanium roof, ballistic steel armouring, under-floor Kevlar protection, bullet-resistant borosilicate glazing and tyres with run flat capability. It came with a certificate of authenticity signed by the Secretary of State, Patrick McLoughlin and has a gross weight of 3,200 kg.

Of the sale, Gainsborough Roberts remarked:

“After collecting for over 40 years the time has finally arrived to share my collection with the world”.

“I hope my insatiable appetite for the curious, the famous and the infamous will inspire a new generation of custodians”.

Subscribe to our free once daily email newsletter here:[wysija_form id=”2″]