Please note: there is now a section missing from the video. Thanks to a “copyright holder” who shall not be named. I have had to trim it out to save myself hassle, even though it has been transformed in line with “Fair dealing” in UK copyright law.

These days, the Number 10 car carries four Prime Ministers before its first MOT.

Has to be the Rover P5B all day long 😊

In the early 1980s I was at college in Whitechapel, east London. Standing at a crossing on the Whitechapel road, near the bell foundry, I was waiting to cross the road when a very shiny black Rover P5 pulled to a stop, with a heavy-set driver in a dark overcoat and seated next to him, a smart-looking lady with a headscarf and sunglasses. It was only on second glance that I realised it was the Queen.

Favourite one Tom, Has to be the Rover P5B, Stunning, classic British car that PM's and Criminals both used!

Great video Tom! My favourite cars are Rover P5B and Daimler Sovereign/Double Six. Gorgeous vehicles.

P5B all the way.

The Vanden Plas 4litre R has to be the one for me. So much more 'classy' than any of the others shown.

I think it is well documented that Sunak owns 4 cars including one that was bought for more than $100K in his house in California. But when questioned he only mentions his second hand golf.

When production of the Rover P5 was ending in the early 1970s, Ted Heath’s government reserved an entire consignment. This consignment was stored away and cars were brought out when needed. So, even in the late seventies with Margaret Thatcher at the helm - years after production had ended - new Rover P5s were still appearing on the streets! I seem to remember that Harold Wilson's cabinet ministers climbed over each other to get P4s as their assigned car.

Out of them All , the P5s they just looked the Business .

It has to be the P5b for me as I have owned mine for 26 years however I do love the Super Snipe and the Vanden Plas as well. As an aside James Callaghan had a P6 as his personal car. He lived in the same village as me and I used to fill it up with petrol when I worked as a pump attendant in the local garage as a teenager .

The Humber Pullmans/Imperials were out of service long before Harold Wilson. From Macmillan through to the early days of the Heath era Humber Snipes and Hawks were used The big Humbers stop production in 1966 but use continued because the were very reliable and and had more room in the rear seat area than the Rover P5

The P5b had the presence to fit the job. I think it was it's height.

The panel gap on that metro is enormous 😂😂

Great timing Tom, the cars were always more interesting than the MPs

I cannot believe how many of these cars are scrapped. They are shrouded in political history. Do people know what they are scrapping?

In the 1980s the Rover 3500 was very popular among MPs. They could claim a mileage allowance for business use of the car that varied with engine size; the larger the engine the more money per mile the MP would get. The Rover 3500 came into the largest engine size band and had quite decent fuel economy considering its size. It was possible to make a considerable profit on its use.

Yxn 8-one! The humber was 64 not 72 I.e. 'L'' reg! (Get yer self a 'Glass's guide for reg dates, invaluable! Once again, top video!

I served as an instructor at the Met Police Driving School from 82-87, during which time I had a few drivers from the GCS pass through my hands. On one memorable course I had two men, one a chap called George Sime who was one of the team driving Mrs Thatcher, the other a guy called Peter Smithson who was Geoffrey Howe's driver. Peter was a decent driver, but George was really weak. One Sunday morning, when in a newsagent's shop, my attention was drawn to the cover of one of the red tops on the front page of which a female driver from the GCS claimed that Peter Smithson had made love to her on the back seat of Maggies Jaguar while it was parked in the garage.

What this American car guy wouldn't give for a nice P5b ! Legendary car. Legendary engine . Brilliant !!!!!!

That engine cover MOT statement is just a generic MOT staement to cover the tester.

As a Texan who grew up in the sixties and seventies, I thought of Rover cars as their brand. I still miss Rovers.

My favourite car was XJ40 Daimler, which was used by John Major and later Blair.

Best Prime Minesterial car, and the best Prime Minister (Of the modern age) go together, Rover P5B and Harold Wilson.

My Favourite car political or non political is the Rover P5 B

The P5B seemed to continue being popular, even when the P6 & SD1 Rovers would have been available!

A very interesting video, thank you. Rover P5B was my favourite.

Excellent Tom a great amount of research goes into these presentations Thank You

I used to do sub contract work for GCS...Madam Speaker , Privy Council , Deputy speakers... good Job... Blues and two's sometimes too....10 Downing street to Speaker's Yard....90 seconds

Jim Callaghan briefly had a brown SD1 when they first came out,,, but the window mechanism broke and glass shattered inside the door.. Horrified at this Callaghan ordered it never be used again Later however it was used a Michael Foot's official car as leader of the opposition... Neil Kinnock had a red Rover SD1 Mk2 and later replaced with a red 800 ... Just after Kinnock was elected as Labour Leader his own personal Ford Sierra crashed on the M4.. Some say it was down to earlier Sierra's having stability issues (resulting in rear quaterlight "ears" on post 85 models) Dennis Healey liked his Mini's owning a white 1978 example during his campaign to lead the Labour party in 1981 loosing out to Michael Foot

Was waiting for the modifications to come up. I recall hearing the ministerial cars were heavily armed with 2inch thick bulletproof glass & armour plating, let alone bond style defence mechanisms.

Hi Tom , another great interesting vid, they were nimbler Wolseley 18-22 series the wedge . Regards mark

Outstanding research!

Fascinating, thank you. M

Sorry, but rge British government used a series of Humber Super Snipes and Imperials, until they were replaced with the Rover P5B due to Chrysler discontinuing the large Humbers in favour of the Sceptre Mk3. At one time a gentleman wanted to lend Harold Wilson a Rolls Royce, which he turned down instead using a Super Snipe. Hope you don't mind.

Rover P5B or, possibly, the Austin 4 litre

Love the SuperSnipe. Looks like mine 👍

Very interesting, thankyou.

The Rover P5B says Ministerial car all over it. So thats the one for me please Tom.

I’m firmly in the P5b camp but thats no surprise as i bought one as a 21 year old in 1995 and drove it daily for a couple of years, selling it only when buying a house. Which was about the same size but cheaper to run.

The PM's main official car starting with Maggie's last P5b were armoured with lightweight Chobham armour, the formulation classified hence being scrapped or having disappeared. They could not be sold at a Govt surplus auction like the Pool cars. Harold Wilson's P5b has an extra large ashtray in the rear to accommodate his pipes. The then Home Office drivers were trained in evasion and escape technique driving at the Met Police driving school, the bodyguard / door opener in the front armed.

Rover P5B - one of most handsome and stately of the political cars.

Loved seeing a Chrysler Alpine follow a P5 through the gates of Buck House 1:16

the first car i learnt to drive in rover P5B Coupe at 14 years old .this good weir but good ,

Very interesting

Loved the x308 Jaguar/daimler W reg in Blue used by labour

I'd very much like to have a P5B.

15:51 The Jag helping to rid us of Bliar in 2007, was a LWB X350, not an X308 as stated.

Many diplomatic cars are armoured and when decommissioned are exported to countries, usually in Africa where armoured cars are needed.

Enjoyable video, thanks. Although I think Blair resigned in an X350 XJ rather than X308 as you said. :)

Legendary UK icon Austin Allegro fitting car for the high n mighty "I'm all wet" Suksak

Great and informative Video as usual Tom Thankyou! However may I be so bold as a Jag X350 owner, that the car (Rego # PF53 GFV) Appears to be an X350 or 358 and not a 308? Other than that, Love your work Mate 😊

The P5's have got to the best ones surely.

A 2 door Westminster alleged to have belonged to Winston Churchill was banger raced back in the 90s by a guy called (I think) Matthew Millen who was a a member of the Ant Hill Mob banger racing team.

Harold Wilsons Humber Super Snipe was Not a series 1, they had single headlamps, it was a series 3 which came out in 1960,, and seemed to used as a gov car through most of the 1960's

I like too see you do a film about the different Royal cars over the years.

The Humber had YXN 81. And isn't in Britain anymore, but stil alive.

P5B for me.

Such a great looking car always loved them has the same presence as a roller which I like aswell the shadow the rover

Great video 👍 The car's are upgraded with armour plate and bullet proof glass so scraping them would be logical end

My favourite was the Jaguar XJ8 Sovereign used when Gordon Brown was stepping down.

Best car has to be the Rover P5B - AKA "The flying armchair" !!

Rover produced quite a few LWB Rover 75's for Government use ...

Brilliant You need to do royal cars

SB62OZJ has the 5.0 V8 petrol engine, and I’m guessing was armoured.

Thatcher never used a Rover 800 regularly, but it was widely used by other ministers well into the 90s.

13:33 You state that Tony Blair rode in an XJ40 registration number J372 DYL, but the car is badges as a "Daimler".

If you mention a museum, it would be helpful if you mentioned where it was, e.g., the Lowman Museum is in the Hague.

The original Daimler Sovereign ( with twin headlamps) was the best car in this lineup.

Can anyone explain why the earlier P.M cars had auto assn. badges on them? The first series 3 Jag had series 2 wheels? The wing mirrors I'm guessing were for better visibility in motorcades?

SD1s were used as ministerial cars, IIRC.

Rover P5 with a chopped roof, now that would be someone i'd vote for/

Rover three and a half litre saloon. M

Don’t forget Borris’s mk1 focus

7:22 You show Harold Wilson in a P5B registration number OLL 212, but make no mention of it.

Got to laugh at the backlash over the Audi considering neither the vauxhall or Jaguar/Land Rover had been British for a number of years before it's introduction

The UK Government keeps the very last batch of Rover P5B for Ministerial use in the 70s why can't they do the same with the last X351 XJ rather than purchase the German Audi?

Humber Pullman and P5B 👍

There's a museum in Moscow which exhibits British Government cars.. I saw it on KZfaq. Quite interesting.

7:50 You show James Callaghan in a P5B registration number B57 JGY, but make no mention of it.

Borris’s rangey fo me, he looked pissed right up😂😂😂😂

I remember Lady Thatcher drawing up to No 10 in May if 1979 in a Rover Black P5 If I am wrong and it was a P6 please let me know Also back in 1982 Princess Grace of Monaco was driving a P5 or it could have been a P6 when it fell down the side of the road and she was killed Even so these cars were so stylish ❤❤❤🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

My favourite 'political' car is without doubt the Citroen DS which saved the life of French President Charles De Gaulle. But if I were a Government Minister today I'd want something very comfortable but reliable - a Lexus, perhaps?

Flying carpets next. 🤣🤣

The cars in the u.k very much became appliances. Interesting.

I thought Johnny Two Jags would get a mention!

Hi Tom. I was heavily involved in the GCS over the period you are talking about. They didn’t go straight from the Humber Pullman to Rover P5s there was a period in the 1960s when they used Humber Hawks (mainly - if I remember rightly the odd Super snipe and Imperial crept in as well). The 4litre R SMT 594 F is odd as the reg is a 1968/9 one as if it was a 64 it ought to have a B reg. You said they bought the 4litre R for Wilson in the 70s which they couldn’t have done as they stopped making them in 68. I believe the one you show was a 68 which the GCS just had “in stock”. Although it may have been an MoD car re registered in 68 but that would be odd as the registration cannot be newer than the car!! Mystery there!! Mind you everything to do with Wilson was dodgy!! 5:08 5:08 5:08 The main day to day cars of the era were Farina Morris Oxford 1600s. All of which were fitted with double SU fuel pumps because they used to go wrong so often! The Rovers had to go as they weren’t strong enough for all the extra bullet proofing etc. I remember my colleague Anthony Pollington (a lovely man sadly no longer with us) who was the director in charge of GCS had Rover 800s on test and I borrowed a couple. Nice cars but rather flimsy - well they were really Hondas I guess. The Omegas appeared to the end of my time there. They were popular because they were fast, but dodgy electrics.

_Hmm...._ At 15:15 you mention _"John Prescott would receive a new Daimler."_ But, looking at that picture *it looks distinctly like a Jaguar.* Why? I can't see a fluted plinth on the trunk lid, which characterised all Daimlers (or VandenPlases in North America). The picture is a bit blurry, but the chrome looks very straight to me, not ribbed. At 15:53 you say _"Tony Blair would resign in 2007, being whisked away in a Jaguar XJ X308."_ The car in the video at that point is most definitely *not* an X308. *It is clearly an X350.* Further to this, in 2007 the X350s had been in production since at least 2004. I would have thought the top Prime Ministerial car wouldn't be an (at least) three year old version?

I have a Toyota RAV4 just like the next to last pictured but non hybrid.

You did not mention, the specially modified car for David Blunkett

You missed Jeremy Corbyn’s 1961 VW “splittie” Campervan ….. only joking …

1964 Vanden Plas Princess 4.0L R on an F plate (1967-68)? How did that happen?

Nice touch with the election. Heres one you missed Winston Churchill s 2door VDP 3 liter raced by the ant 🐜 hill mob at small fields in the 90s 🤠⚓🔧 JB

I was sure that Thatcher left, crying, in the rear of a P5B 🤷‍♂️🤔

If Margaret Thatcher's first car after the Rovers was a Daimler Sovereign, why say that the Rovers were replaced by the Jaguar XJ Series?

In Australia, it was Ford and Holden except from 75-81, where it was a Mercedes 450sel, then back to Australian made until the tories got in in 2013 and killed local manufacturing and they went to BMW's before Holden and ford shut down.

0:45 You mention "the unusual modifications made to the Government's XJs" in your introduction, but then don't enter into any detail over the course of the video.

Do Vickers, Volkswagen buy out and the cheeky way BMW got the Rolls Royce name. I was senior nuclear physicist at Rolls Royce & Associstes when the chairman of BMW held the door open for me. I was carrying my crash helet and tank bag., at the time. That was 1997. This must be the biggest error by Volkswagen in manufacturing history.

2012 730d SE