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Some cars are born to greatness and others attain it.
Either way, there are those that end up gliding around with royalty and world leaders cossetted inside.
Here’s our pick of the biggest, boldest and best stately cars, which are listed in chronological order:
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Mercedes-Benz 770K (1938)
The Mercedes-Benz 770 was also known as the Grosser, which meant ‘Grand’, and it lived up to this name in every respect. A 7.6-litre engine powered the huge saloons and convertibles and the supercharged straight-eight motor gave effortless performance on the newly opened autobahns.
The first generation of 770 was intended solely for heads of state and found customers with Japan’s Emperor Hirohito and former Kaiser Wilhelm II.
The second generation 770 - classified by Mercedes as W150 - only managed a production run of 88 cars, but it gained worldwide notoriety as the favoured transport of Adolf Hitler, who had seven of them. The German leader also made gifts of several 770s - usually in saloon form - to leading allies such as Italy’s Benito Mussolini, General Franco of Spain, and Ion Antonescu of Romania; the Romanian leader’s 770 was bulletproof.
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Citroën DS (1955)
Few state cars have been as well matched to their primary user as the Citroën DS. Its idiosyncratic style was in step with General Charles De Gaulle and he used several of the French saloons throughout his leadership. He was especially grateful to the car’s hydropneumatic suspension when his convoy was attacked in 1962. Despite the Citroën suffering a bullet puncture to a rear tyre, it was able to drive away and take the President to safety.
While the DS19 and later versions provided sterling service, France’s leaders have also enjoyed Peugeot and Renault models over the years. However, the current President has returned to the DS name with a car aptly named the Presidential DS 7 Crossback.
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Rolls-Royce Phantom V (1959)
The Phantom V was a blank canvas for its head of state owners to put their own mark on thanks to Rolls-Royce’s near endless options list. While the British Royal family kept their Phantoms relatively restrained, others such as Romania’s Nicolae Ceausescu threw everything at the car. This backfired on the Communist dictator when his overlords in Moscow told him to return such an ostentatious limousine and the car was sold on to a private owner. Yet the most famous Phantom V owner was not a head of state but another type of world leader - Beatle John Lennon - with his car’s psychedelic paint scheme.
Those lucky enough to travel in one of the 516 Phantom Vs built enjoyed a peerless ride and comfort, aided by a massive 3650mm wheelbase. Rolls-Royce’s new 6.2-litre V8 took care of power and a four-speed automatic gearbox was standard. With ‘adequate’ power, the Phantom V could hustle up to 101mph and cover 0-60mph in 13.8 seconds depending on the coachwork and extra weight of optional extras.
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Lincoln Continental (1961)
The Lincoln Continental became famous for all the wrong reasons when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, 1963 while riding in an open-top version. That incident meant all presidential cars from then on were closed and bullet-proof. That included the car Kennedy was in, which was converted with a fixed roof shortly after the attack. It now resides at the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan (pictured).
Lincoln’s connections to the White House date back to 1939 and the Sunshine Special ordered by Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1961, two Continentals were delivered for the President, with one converted by Hess and Eisenhardt into the open-top model. It came with several roof configurations to give cover from the weather while still allowing the public to get a good view of the car’s main occupant.
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Mercedes 600 Pullman (1964)
Mercedes would happily sell anyone their 600 saloon, but the Pullman was squarely aimed at those with government budgets to pay for it rather than mere wealth. The long wheelbase Pullman stretched to 6.24-metres and could be ordered with anything from four to nine seats depending on how big your entourage was.
Original owners included the Pope, the King of Kenya, as well as some less savoury characters like Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin and Robert Mugabe. They all benefitted from a limo suspended on a complex air-sprung suspension system and powered by a 247bhp 6.3-litre V8 capable of whisking the Pullman to 127mph. Impressive stuff for 1964 and it was still luring in buyers when production ended in 1981 after 2677 had been made.
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Rover P5B (1967)
The Rover P5B’s understated, almost matronly, looks made it ideal transport for British government high-ups. Luxurious enough to pamper them and quick enough to outgun any chasing press pack, it was also discreet enough not to upset the electorate about extravagant spending. Even so, later P5Bs were expensively updated with bullet-proof glass and other security kit.
The 3.5-litre V8-powered P5B was a firm favourite with prime ministers, starting with Harold Wilson. Several were purchased when production ended in 1973 to ensure there was a steady supply and Margaret Thatcher entered Downing Street in a P5B after her 1979 election win. She stuck with the P5B into the 1980s as she found the Jaguar XJ Series 2 model had poor rear headroom and only switched allegiance when the Series 3 XJ was introduced.
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Daimler DS420 (1968)
The DS420 holds the honour of being delivered to more heads of state than any other car. It helps that Daimler’s name gave the DS420 instant cache thanks to previous royal connections and the car’s elegant lines. Built from the outset as a production limo, it was based on the Jaguar 420G and was offered as a saloon, landaulette or chassis for coachbuilders to add their own body to.
The King of Denmark was the first to spot the DS420’s suitability as royal transport when he tried a pre-production model in 1968. Queen Elizabeth II used several DS420s throughout the car’s 24-year production run, often having the cars flown ahead of her foreign visits.
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Citroën CX (1974)
Much like the Rover P5B in the UK, the Citroën CX worked its way into the affections of France’s heads of state. It took over presidential chauffeur duties from the DS and Citroën was quick to react with the Prestige model launched in 1976 with a 25cm longer wheelbase to address complaints about poor rear legroom. Headroom was also improved when President Giscard d’Estaing pointed this out.
President Jacques Chirac was a big fan of the CX and continued to use this Citroën long after it was replaced by the XM. As late as 1995, he was still opting for the CX thanks to its superbly smooth ride. Other notable owners included King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Rainier III, Prince of Monaco.
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Maserati Quattroporte (1979)
The President of Italy can lay claim to the most raffish official wheels as they get about in a Maserati Quattroporte. The first was presented to President Sandro Pertini in 1979 and he used it extensively before upgrading to an armoured version in 1982 complete with pipe holder for the President. This was followed in 1986 by the Royale model with an even more luxurious cabin and other tech such as telephone and folding tables built into the rear doors. Only 51 Royales were made.
On an official visit to the Ferrari factory, President Pertini was expecting Enzo Ferrari to come towards the Quattroporte but the sports car maker remained perfectly still. The reason was Ferrari couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge the rival Maserati’s existence. Enzo Ferrari died in 1988; in 1993 Maserati joined Ferrari in the Fiat empire.
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Queen’s State Bentley (2002)
If you ever need confirmation you were one of the world’s elite, having a car handcrafted for you seals the deal. This is what the Queen Elizabeth II found when presented with the State Limousine from Bentley to mark her Golden Jubilee in 2002. Created by in-house coachbuilder Mulliner, this car is based on an Arnage but bespoke in every sense.
Two were made, essentially an heir and a spare, and both are 83cm longer than an Arnage saloon. A 400bhp version of the 6.75-litre V8 is used to overcome the weight of the security kit. Bentley used a life-size model to make sure the seating position was perfect for the Queen and the rear doors open to 90-degrees so she can get in and out easily. There’s also a panoramic glass roof that can be swapped for opaque panels for greater privacy.
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Maybach 62 (2002)
Mercedes’ experiment with relaunching the Maybach brand may not have panned out as it wished, but it didn’t stop several state leaders choosing the cars as their preferred mode of transport. Notables such as the Kings of Jordan and Thailand still use their Maybach 62s to get around and its’ easy to see why when these cars offer massive rear compartments and a host of luxury kit.
However, even with a client list that extended to European heads of state and royalty around the world, the Maybach project never achieved its sales targets. It was axed in 2012, though Mercedes now offers high-end Maybach-badged versions of the S-Class and GLS.
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Toyota Century Royal (2006)
It’s as big as a Maybach 62 and weighs more than Rolls-Royce Phantom, so it’s fair to day the Toyota Century Royal is an exceptional car. This is all the more evident when you know only four were built, the fifth cancelled due to costs. The first one came in at Y52.5 million (£365,000), but the last two armoured versions were double that. Each is individually numbered from one to five, but there’s no four as this number is thought to be unlucky in Japan.
As the official state car of the Japanese Imperial Household, the Toyota is finished to an amazing standard. This includes granite side steps, cloth upholstery and washi paper headlining. Under the bonnet is a 276bhp 5.0-litre V12 engine that is unique to this model.
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Jaguar XJ (2010)
Jaguar’s XJ has a history going back to the early 1980s as transport for the UK’s Prime Minister, but it’s the X351 generation from 2010 that has been the most popular. Costing around £300,000 a pop, each is based on a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 Sentinel model. There are plenty of upgrades to make it secure, such as bullet-proof glass, bomb shielding, onboard oxygen supply and, perhaps most crucially, a driver trained in evasive techniques.
The first Prime Minister to enjoy the X351’s cosseting cabin was David Cameron and every successive UK premier has been wheeled around in a Jaguar XJ. None has had to call on the car’s abilities, but one XJ was damaged when its driver caught a kerb while on official duties in Manchester. The XJ went out of production in 2019 and will be succeeded by an all-electric model that we expect to be unveiled later in 2020.
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Bentley Mulsanne (2010)
When you’re used to state limos, a Bentley Mulsanne passes for under the radar. This explains why many members of royalty in the UK and further afield choose this British luxury machine. The Queen was an early adopter to the Mulsanne and had one finished appropriately in Balmoral Green. Prince Charles uses one and so does his sister, Princess Anne, who uses it as a mobile office for her charity work.
The Mulsanne is ideally suited to working as a royal limousine thanks to its generous rear compartment, hushed cabin and supple ride. It’s also plenty quick enough to get out of trouble thanks to the 505bhp twin-turbo 6.75-litre V8 under the bonnet. Good enough for 0-60mph in 5.7 seconds, which is some feat for a car weighing 2740kg in extended wheelbase form.
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Hongqi L5 (2013)
If you’re riding in a Hongqi L5, the chances are you’re a very senior member of China’s Communist Party. Even if you can afford the £580,000 ($760,000) entry price, it’s no easy task to get your hands on China’s most expensive car as it’s aimed at billionaires who want to underscore their Chinese heritage.
As the General Secretary of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping is very familiar with the back seats of the Hongqi L5. He enjoys an uninterrupted ride and performance is decent for a car weighing 3150kg thanks to a 6.0-litre V12 engine producing 402bhp.
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Presidential State Car: Cadillac (2018)
American Presidents have been riding in bespoke cars since Franklin D. Roosevelt commissioned one in 1939. The latest in this line is the Cadillac Beast that was supplied to the White House in 2018 to replace the previous Beast and is reckoned to have cost around $1.5 million (£1.15 million). However, the car is not based on any single Cadillac model and it thought to use a unique frame, though no details have ever been released.
What we do know about the Beast is it weigh as much as 9.1-tonnes and is very heavily armoured. There are no outside key locks and it can withstand attacks from bullet, bomb and chemical gas. Otherwise, so much secrecy surrounds the Beast that the previous one was destroyed by the US Secret Service to prevent any of its design and technology being discovered.
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Aurus Senat L700 (2018)
None other than Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, made the Aurus Senat come to life. He tasked the company with creating a luxury limousine to beat all others and then he upped that with the L700 state version. In full pomp, it can be ordered with a 6.6-litre V12 engine producing 848bhp, through the state model makes do with a 590bhp 4.4-litre V8 and hybrid power.
As well as creating Russia’s new state limousine, Aurus is the brainchild of President Putin. It’s run by the country’s catchily named Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Institute, which is better known as NAMI and has had input from Porsche.
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