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Check out King Charles III's $17.6 million car collection

King Charles III's coronation will take place in England on May 6, and being crowned a monarch comes with a long list of perks with four wheels. He will gain full access to the Royal Family's fleet of cars, which is valued at about GBP14 million (approximately $17.6 million). The two most expensive cars in the collection are nearly identical: they're a pair of Bentley State Limousine models (pictured) built for Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III's mother, in 2002. Only two units were made, and they're both part of the Royal Family's fleet, so they're difficult to put a value on; it's not like one is going to end up listed on your favorite auction site anytime soon. British company Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, which compiled the list, estimates that each armored, 245-inch long sedan is worth at least GBP10,000,000 (roughly $12.6 million). Dropping below the eight-digit threshold, the second-most-valuable car in the Royal Family's fleet isn't really a car. It's the Gold State Coach, which Matchbox recently released a 1/64-scale replica of, and its value is estimated at GBP1.6 million (about $2 million). At 275 inches long it's even bigger than the Bentley limousine and it weighs about 9,000 pounds. It's 261 years old and designed to be pulled by eight horses, and has been part of every coronation since 1831. The rest of the Royal Family's vehicles are relatively mundane. There's a 1965 Aston Martin DB6 Volante that Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Phillip, bought for King Charles III on his 21st birthday. It's worth GBP1 million (about $1.2 million). The collection also includes a Rolls-Royce Phantom VI (about $627,000), a Bentley Bentayga (about $201,000), a Land Rover Range Rover long-wheelbase Landaulet ($133,000), a Jaguar XE (about $41,000), and a Land Rover Defender ($38,000). "Luxury cars have long been associated with the monarch and King Charles III, in particular, is known for his fondness of motor vehicles. His impressive collection features sentimental value with motors passed down from his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, to cars bought for him by his parents," explained Keith Hawes, the director of Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, in an interview with CBS News. Being at the head of a car-making nation's royal family also comes with drawbacks: Every vehicle in King Charles III's fleet is British.

New Aston Martin V12 Vantage rumored with 670 hp

In August, spy photographers at the Nurburgring took pics of an Aston Martin Vantage mule doing hard laps. The primer black test car sported an extra wide body, a big ol' V-shaped mesh net on its hood likely hiding heat extractors, an enormous grille with extra intakes along the sides, and dual pipes jutting out the center of the rear diffuser. It looked like Aston Martin had put its 5.2-liter V12 into a Vantage engine bay, and reports from ears on the ground said it sounded that way, too. Remember, last year's Aston Martin Speedster was based on the Vantage chassis and was powered by that 5.2-liter V12, an engine not available in the series production Vantage. In the Speedster, that engine produced 690 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque. The Supercar Blog reports that its sources say a reborn V12 Vantage might have its engine restricted to 670 hp. That seems a logical number, possibly putting the V12 Vantage a notable step down from the 715-hp DBS and the 690-hp special edition Speedster. If it does get 670 hp, that figure would put it 40 ponies ahead of the DB11 with the same V12, but TSB reports the V12 Vantage will be a limited edition. Expected to arrive for the 2023 model year as part of the standard Vantage's model update, sources say there will only be 299 made.  The last time Aston Martin put its biggest engine in its smallest car, the result was arguably the best and most enjoyable car in the automaker's range. We have the same expectation this time around. Unlike the last time, though, there won't be a manual transmission on the menu; it's said the updated Vantage will go with the eight-speed automatic only. Now that the Vantage F1 Edition starts at over $160,000, a V12 Vantage could start beyond $190,000 and even creep over $200,000. Company CEO Tobias Moers has said he plans 10 derivatives of existing models by 2023, so it seems likely that this won't be the only special edition Vantage on the way.

Aston Martin may soon follow Ferrari with a London IPO

Aston Martin may soon be following Ferrari's lead, as Automotive News reports that people within the British automaker say it may soon consider an initial public offering. If it happens Aston Martin will likely list in London, not New York like Ferrari. While some in the industry were initially wary of Ferrari's move, the company is doing better than ever, with shares rising 62 percent since its IPO in 2015. An IPO could be a huge plus for Aston Martin. The company is looking to boost both sales and profit. Ferrari and Aston Martin sell similar vehicles at similar price points, but Ferrari has a much wider audience, even if most of those fans will never even sit inside one of its cars. That would likely be a big sticking point in estimating Aston Martin's value. It also moves half as many units as Ferrari per year. Aston Martin does have a new crossover on the horizon. Like Porsche, a crossover has the potential to more than double the automaker's sales. Even without it, fourth quarter profits in 2016 notably increased, fueled by solid sales of the new DB11. The IPO won't happen until sometime next year. The company wants to wait on a full 2017 earnings report. Related Video: News Source: Aston Martin Earnings/Financials Rumormill Aston Martin Ferrari stock