To celebrate Her Majesty the Queen turning 90, Vauxhall has given the green light on a ‘Royal Astra’.
Paying homage to the longest serving British Monarch, the special Astra features a retractable 'regal red carpet' which leads to a specially designed corgi booster seat. The Royal ride is filled with a variety of Astra-cratic add-ons to ensure Queen Elizabeth II arrives to her party in style. And it’s not just her Majesty being honoured, Vauxhall have gone to great lengths to make sure the Queen’s prized Corgis are suitably looked after in the Royal manner with their very own windscreen wiping waving hand.
Full spec for the Royal Astra includes; 'Corgis On Board' sign displayed on rear windscreen, Corgi booster seat, Union Jack cushions, Retractable red carpe and ‘Liz & Phil’ front windscreen sun visor strip and the doggy Windscreen wiping waving hand.
Her Majesty has been a Vauxhall owner for more than 50 years, with all her cars finished in Balmoral Green - a bespoke deep green colour not normally supplied by Vauxhall. ‘MYT 1’, 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.
Denis Chick, Director of Communications, Vauxhall Motors and Holder of the Royal Warrant for Vauxhall Motors recalled a Queen related anecdote: “A few years back, a new Omega estate car for the Royal Family was being prepared by our sister company, Opel, in Germany. It all seemed to be going to plan until the car arrived in Luton. Sure it was sober and green on the outside – but the interior trim was a customised riot of gaudy colour. A telephone call was hastily made to Germany, asking them to explain the psychedelic seating and whether they knew this car was for the Queen. It transpired that the team at Opel were fitting the car for Queen the rock band and not Queen Elizabeth. The next day the car was duly dispatched back to Germany for a refit. 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 new Vauxhall Astra is on sale now priced from priced from £15,295 OTR.