[DicKy]

Look at the w140 tyres!!!
Those sidewalls and all looks like truck tyres.
And just contrast the both the w140 and w220.

[ajmat]

Those are bullet proof and for running over sharp objects as also needing to cope with extra weight

[TheStig]

Makes me proud and feel honored to be owning a W140. Thats the only car in this thread that truly screams of power and indestructibility! Personally I feel even Barack Obama's current Cadillac fails to project such an image.

[EP.]

Malaysia's King Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin's car. Picture by a friend.

[BEEM3R]

The royal crest on the Bentley plates look so much like the Cadillac crest !

[Jayabusa]

Originally Posted by EP.

Malaysia's King Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin's car. Picture by a friend.

What's the saloon at the other(upper) end of the road? A pre/post-facelift bangled 7?

[EP.]

Originally Posted by Jayabusa

What's the saloon at the other(upper) end of the road? A pre/post-facelift bangled 7?

Looks like the pre-facelift 7 to me. Can't be sure since i didn't take the pic.

[wilful]

I came a couple of Presidential Cars that I feel are/were totally unique.

The President of Uruguay, José Mujica, drives around in a VW Beetle. Yes - that is right - a humble Bug.

I was also quite taken by the 'life saving' Citron DS of the legendary Charles De Gaulle. In 1962, a group of assassins tried to kill the French President. A hail of 140 bullets, most of them coming from behind, killed two of the president's motorcycle bodyguards, shattered the car's rear window and punctured all four of its tires (some say two). The DS (also known as Déesse, or Goddess) was well-known for its futuristic, aerodynamic body design & hydropneumatic suspension, which helped the driver to speed away on flat tyres, thus saving the President and his wife.

[Merce320]

Our PM's current ride. Plates not blanked since its posted publicly on TOI.

[shreyaskr]

The current Italian presidential cars are two identical armoured Lancia Thesis, with a third unarmoured one kept as backup. In 2012 another fourth, armoured Thesis was delivered by Lancia.

[shreyaskr]

Royal Road Machines

The 7th Nizam

The seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, was an avid automobile enthusiast. One of the first people in India to have purchased luxury vehicles, the Nizam took the trouble to import them at his heart’s desire. Of course, finances were no issue – the Nizam was sufficiently wealthy to afford all the best the world of automotives had to offer.

Shortly after they were released, the Nizam ordered Rolls-Royces by the dozen. Among the collection of erstwhile Hyderabad state’s royal family was a 1911 Rolls-Royce Silver Phantom. Originally ordered by the sixth Nizam, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, the luxurious piece of engineering arrived only in 1912, a year after the royal’s demise.

Purchased with the intention of being used as a state limousine, the Phantom went on to be used by its recipient, the seventh Nizam, on special occasions. When it was restored in 2009, it had only 356 miles on its odometer.



Royal Family of the United Kingdom

Doing transport duty for Queen Elizabeth II and state visitors are eight limousines – two Bentleys, three Rolls-Royces, and three Daimlers. Also in the Royal Mews are a number of Volkswagen people-carriers.
State cars are painted claret and do not have registration plates. The two Bentleys were most recently inducted to oversee transportation during the queen’s engagements, the first having been presented to Her Majesty in 2002 to honour of the Golden Jubilee of her coronation.

The Aston Martin DB6 MKII Volante was also in the news when, after Prince William and Kate
Middleton were married, the second-in-line and his wife toured London. The Midnight Blue DB6 has an engine that runs on alcohol-based fuel made from the grapes grown in the British Royal Family’s gardens. Also in the Royal Mews is the Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, which was presented to the queen in 1978, on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of her coronation, by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
The oldest car in the stable, however, is the 1950 Phantom IV. An inline eight-cylinder engine with a cubic capacity of 5.76 litres, it features a Mulliner body and was used by the reigning monarch and her husband. Despite its age, the car is in fine condition and is still used on occasions like the Royal Ascot derby.



Royal Family of Norway

Harald V, King of Norway, is chauffeured in a 2008 Lexus LS 600h limousine. The greater royal garage consists of a 2007 Audi A8, a Mercedes-Benz E65 and an E67, a BMW 7 Series, a vintage Lincoln Continental Cabriolet convertible, and a number of Cadillac Deville (Superior Commercial Glass) stretch limousines.

The Cadillac limousines are manufactured with superior, commercial-grade glass windows and front and rear windshields. Among other notable features are heated seating, heavy-duty chasses, and reinforced vinyl tops. And like many other official state cars, they are armoured and bulletproof. Also of interest is the Lincoln Continental, which dates back several decades and is likely one of the few across the globe in operable condition.

King Harald V and his wife Queen Sonja are quite down-to-earth, and often drive themselves around in their personal BMWs. Their son, Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Märtha Louise, have been encouraged to follow suit.



Royal Family of Greece

Of the many cars King George II used during his rule, the Maybach Zeppelin was revered worldwide as the ultimate in high-class automotive engineering during the 1930s.

Named for the company’s well-known production of zeppelin engines prior to and during World War I, it was an enormous luxury vehicle that weighed approximately 3,000 kilos. The weight was so great that German drivers required an additional goods vehicle licence to operate it.

The first Maybach prototype was constructed in 1919 by Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH. Over the next two decades, they built several extraordinary vehicles. Maybach later contributed to Germany’s World War II campaign, manufacturing motors that powered the Panther and Tiger tanks.

In the past, Greek heads of state have used the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, a long-wheelbase limousine.



Royal Family of Japan

Akihito is the 125th Emperor of Japan, having ascended the throne in 1990. He has ruled for over 22 years.
The Toyota Century Royal is Japan’s official state car, reserved for use by the reigning emperor and empress. The custom vehicle measures 20 feet long and 6.5 feet wide, with several extras including bulletproof exteriors and a granite entryway.

With an estimated net worth of US$40 million, Emperor Akihito currently uses the one-off car valued at $500,000. Prior to the manufacture of the Century Royal, he was chauffeured in a Nissan Prince Royal, a Cadillac Series 75, a Mercedes-Benz 770 W07 Series, a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, and a Daimler.
The Century Royal is exclusive to the Imperial Household. Inducted into service in 2006, it displays the Imperial Standard (Imperial Seal of Japan) when the monarch is on board. Both at the front and rear, this emblem replaces the license plates. Rear passenger doors also sport golden, 16-petal chrysanthemums, a reference to the Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan.



Royal Family of Denmark

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark ascended to the throne upon the death of her father, Frederick IX, in 1972, making her the first female Danish monarch since the 1400s. The queen of Denmark makes use of a 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith for her official transportation.

The seven-seat vehicle is known around Scandinavia as Store Krone (Great Crown). Purchased new by Frederick IX from coachbuilder and seller Hooper & Co. of Piccadilly, London, it is supplemented by three Daimler DS420s, - Krones 1, 2, and 5.

Also in the royal garage are a Bentley Mulsanne, a Lexus LS 600h L hybrid limousine, and several other official and personal vehicles belonging to Prince Henrik, Crown Prince Frederick, and Prince Joachim. Each of these vehicles, when ferrying a member of the royal family, bears the license plate prefix Krone.



Royal Family of Luxembourg

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, the small European nation’s head of state, is wealthy beyond measure thanks to personal and family investments in business, finance, gold and property.
custom Audi A8s. For official occasions, state visits, and royal weddings, the Daimler DS420 is the vehicle of preference. When Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg was married to Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy, a Bentley Muslanne was added to the fleet.

Bentley Motors Limited, operated via its local dealer, Bentley Luxembourg, to provide the Grand Ducal Court Luxembourg with two Bentley Mulsannes. A black one was the vehicle in which Guillaume and his mother, Grand Duchess Maria-Teresa, were driven to the Cathedral of Luxembourg for the marriage ceremony. The grand duke and his family are primarily chauffeured in



Royal Family of Monaco

Prince Albert II of Monaco owns a truly enviable stable of cars, from the fast and the furious to the more affordable. So vast is his collection that 38 cars were auctioned in July this year. His father, Prince Rainier III, was another auto enthusiast, collecting several one-off models made specifically for the Monegasque royal family.

A Lexus LS 600h L Landaulet hybrid sedan was custom-made for the royal wedding. The very definition of luxury, this specialty vehicle was conceptualised by luxury coach designer Carat Duchatelet. A base chassis borrowed from the standard Lexus LS 600h was enhanced with a transparent bubble-top back.

Prince Albert II also owns a BMW Hydrogen 7 that runs on both conventional gasoline and hydrogen. This vehicle’s novelty lies in its liquid hydrogen fuel tank, a vacuum flask that allows it to carry more fuel than rival models. The motor burns direct hydrogen, and after ten hours, hydrogen is released from the tank to prevent it from expanding.

Also in Prince Albert II’s collection are a Toyota Prius, a Lexus RX 400h, a Fisker Karma, a Tesla Roadster, a Venturi Fétish , a vintage Maserati, a Jaguar, a 1983 Mercedes 500 SEC, a 1956 Bentley S1 Berline and many other models.




Royal Family of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

King Willem-Alexander of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is one of the more recently crowned European monarchs. Having taken the royal seat upon the abdication of his mother, Princess Beatrix, in April 2013, King Willem-Alexander inherited a veritable fleet of official vehicles.

The official royal limousine, a Volvo S80 stretch, can be found in duplicate – one for the reigning monarch, and one for his mother. Also in the garage are normal-length Volvo S80s and a V70; an Audi A6 and A8; a Ford Focus, Mondeo, Galaxy, and Scorpio Landaulet; a Mercedes-Benz W126 convertible and Viano; and a Volkswagen Crafter bus.

The Dutch royal motoring legacy stretches back to Prince Hendrik, who purchased the royal family’s first vehicles in 1908 – a Renault and nine limousines manufactured by the Amsterdam-based Spijker. Throughout the 1950s, Cadillac enjoyed the honour of providing the Dutch royal family with their official transportation, but eventually lost out to Ford and, subsequently, Rolls-Royce and its Silver Wraith.

Royal Family of Oman

Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said of Oman is among the richest men in the world. Considered a modern monarch, he has a deep appreciation of and love for automobiles. As with all royalty, he owns a number of luxury vehicles, ranging from sports cars to sedans to coaches.

Though royals in the Middle East are well-known for their flashy designer rides, Sultan Qaboos maintains a low profile with his stable. An avid enthusiast, he enjoys getting in the driver’s seat and owns close to 100 cars.

The sultan was once in the news for a car crash near his palace, from which he walked away unscathed. He also owns a super-yacht, the second-biggest in the world (second only to Roman Abramovich’s glorious sea craft), and has a garage full of exotics ready for any overseas requirements.

Two maroon 2007 Mercedes S-Class Pullman limousines, four red 2003 Mercedes S 600 Pullman limos, four Maybach 62s, several Rolls-Royce models, a plethora of Lamborghinis, a smattering of Ferraris, multiple Nissans and Aston Martins, more than 20 Mercedes-Benz cars of different models, and ten Beamers – this is the royal fleet of Oman.



Royal Family of Spain

King Juan Carlos I of Spain is the patriarch of a very prestigious, well-respected European royal household. As such, the Spanish royal family has one of the most stunning fleets not only in Spain, but in all of Europe. The official car of King Juan Carlos I is an armoured Mercedes-Benz S600.

The exclusive Rolls-Royce Phantom IV is a cornerstone of the Spanish royal fleet. Only 18 of its kind were built, and each was reserved for royals or heads of state. Three were ordered by General Francisco Franco for his personal use.

These, now available for use by the Spanish Royal Family, are one landaulette and two limousines. A further special order was placed when Crown Prince Felipe of Asturias married Princess Letizia in 2004. A Phantom IV was rebuilt with armoured protection, with other add-ons including industrial-strength air conditioning and a glazed bubble for the rear. These modifications cost the crown nearly €400,000.




Royal Family of Sweden

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden makes use of an official Volvo S80 stretch, manufactured by the Scandinavian nation’s leading automotive brand. The armoured behemoth is always escorted by Swedish Security Service forces, in a motorcade that includes BMW X5, BMW 5 Series, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class models.

For official occasions like state visits and royal weddings, a Daimler DS420 is the preferred option. Older, it is perfectly in line with the history and tradition embodied by Europe’s royal families. For special occasions, the choices are more varied.

Visiting heads of state in Stockholm are usually offered a choice from the Royal Mews, which includes models from Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Cadillac. Sweden’s first royal vehicle was a Daimler that was purchased in 1899 by then-Crown Prince Gustaf.




Royal Family of Thailand

Revered and respected across Thailand, King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit are quite popular monarchs, and among the few remaining outside Europe. King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s official vehicle is a Maybach 62 limousine with police motorcycle outriders and an escort of Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 5 Series police cars. Many of the other royals travel in Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W221) vehicles, all ivory-coloured.

The royal garage of Thailand is massive and includes a Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, a Rolls-Royce Silver Spur stretch limousine, a Rolls-Royce Silver Spur Park Ward, a Lexus LS 460 L, a BMW 7 Series, a Cadillac DTS stretch limousine, a Volkswagen Caravelle TDi, and a Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG.

Queen Sirikit prefers the Cadillac DTS and Fleetwood stretch limos, but Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn uses the LS 460 L or, for unofficial journeys, a Toyota Granvia. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is frequently chauffeured in a Rolls-Royce of some sort, usually one those that belonged to his father.

The crown prince owns several personal vehicles, many of them classic models. The older models likely belonged to his father, but he has purchased more up-to-date Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, and Cadillac models for himself.

[h@r$h@l]

Had seen the VP's convoy in Nov 2013 in Mumbai.

In the convoy was a couple of other cars too. But nothing spectacular.





Regards,

[Abudhabicars]

The information posted above about the collection of the Sultan of Oman isn't exactly accurate , besides the S600 pullman's. Anyways i will share as many pics as i have of official state cars around the GCC.

Bahrain:
HM The King of Bahrain's S600 V12 (Which is used mostly for formal meetings)



And here's another pic i have ,



Oman:

As mentioned in the Above post , S600 Pullmans are used for formal meetings. However HM the Sultan during his Annual tour of the Country uses a Range Rover Vouge. He is pretty fond of this color i guess as earlier in the 80's he had a G-280D with the same color. It wasn't uncommon back then to stop at a signal and find his G-Wagen next to you.

Here's a pic of the G-wagen


And the Range Rover's now :



This pic barely cover's the actual amount of RR's and LR4's the Royal Convoy has.

UAE:

The President of UAE uses his Maybach on official duties , and a 2014 Range Rover Limo during his Hunting Trips.

[Abudhabicars]

His Highness Sheikh Humaid Al Nuaimi, the Ruler of Ajman in the UAE, touring a few rain affected parts today in his RR Autobiography.

Picture credit: UAE Barq