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Prince Philip’s final journey to be in a modified long-wheelbase Land Rover Defender

A Land Rover that the Duke of Edinburgh helped to design will take HRH on the short journey to his final resting place.


His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, will make one, final, short journey from Windsor Castle to his final resting place at St George’s Chapel, in a long-wheelbase Land Rover Defender 130 Gun Bus, that he had a hand in designing.

A long-time Landy fan, the Land Rover was built to the Duke’s own specifications and was delivered to the Sandringham Estate for use by the Royal Family in 2016.

A Gun Bus is a rear-body conversion used for hunting, a known favoured pastime of the Windsor clan. English Land Rover conversion company, Foley Specialist Vehicles, hand-built the ‘130 specifically for Prince Philip, based on his input and direction.

It was based on an ex-military Ambulance and features a replacement galvanised steel frame with a custom rear body, designed for exceptional (read: royal) comfort and practicality. The seats are trimmed in green leather and hinge upward for additional storage. The rest of the interior is finished in solid French Oak.

There are large opening windows, LED lighting elements and ventilation to keep passengers properly acclimatised.

Finished in Deep Bronze Green, the Defender 130 uses a 91kW/300Nm 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo diesel engine.

While the Duke’s Landy was a particularly bespoke build, Foley has a similar example, in Keswick Green available for £45,000 (A$82,000).

And while a humble Defender (albeit a fully restored and customised one) may seem like a somewhat conservative end to the life of a Prince, the use of this particular Land Rover as an integral part of the funeral procession was part of the plan that the Duke made himself.

I think you’d agree that as a car enthusiast, there’s probably no better way to shuffle off this mortal coil, than in your favourite project car.

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James Ward

With over 20 years of experience in digital publishing, James Ward has worked within the automotive landscape since 2007 and brings experience from the publishing, manufacturer and lifestyle side of the industry together to spearhead Drive's multi-media content direction.

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