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King Charles' electric I-Pace goes to auction next month

Never mind the Bentley State Limousines, the Aston Martin DB6 Volante that Queen Elizabeth II bought him on his 21st birthday, or the Rolls-Royce Phantom VI valued at more than $600,000. The car of the moment, if we’re talking about the garage of King Charles III of England, is a far more ordinary — and all-electric — Jaguar I-Pace purchased in 2018 by His Majesty “for his personal use." The royal Jag is set to be auctioned off March 2 at the famed Ascot Racecourse; estimated selling price is as high as $88,000. If you miss out on the auction of a president's former ride, here's one from a king. The SUV, notable as the first all-electric vehicle to be embraced by the royal family, is the range-topping I-Pace EV400 HSE all-wheel-drive luxury five-seater that the king — prince of Wales at the time — bought in September 2018 for $75,000. According to the auction site, the Jag was "purchased with his own money." Charles had Jaguar install a fast charger at Clarence House, his residence. The vehicle was returned to a Jaguar dealership after two years — itÂ’s not clear if it had been leased — with only 3,000 miles on the clock. Subsequently, the SUV was sold to one Karen French of Oxfordshire. She said in a statement offered by Historics Auctioneers, “This I-Pace was exactly what I was looking for and pretty much on my doorstep. It was only when I agreed to buy it that I discovered its extraordinary history — I was absolutely thrilled. Having driven it over 30,000 miles,” she added, ”I decided in the New Year that it was time for a change.” Noted by the auctioneers in typical British understatement, the high-specification car was uniquely finished in Loire Blue and remains the only I-Pace “to be painted in this colour, whilst those inside the car enjoyed a sumptuous, contrasting leather interior in, fittingly, Light Oyster Windsor.” A revised Jaguar I-Pace is scheduled to arrive next year. Regarding the KingÂ’s affection for automobiles — British automobiles — he reportedly overseas a fleet worth more than $17 million. And while heÂ’s fond of driving conventional vehicles, he told the BBC some years ago that “my old Aston Martin, which I've had for 51 years, runs on — can you believe this — surplus English white wine, and whey from the cheese process.” Essentially the classic had been converted to run on E85 bio-ethanol. "The engineers at Aston said, 'Oh, it'll ruin the whole thing,'" Charles shared with The Telegraph in 2018.

Aston Martin finally drops the veil on its new Lagonda sedan

Aston Martin has finally released the floodgates, delivering official images of the all-new Lagonda sedan, the company's latest expression of its long-serving VH architecture and 6.0-liter V12. Set for an extremely limited production, the hand-built Lagonda's William Towns-inspired, carbon-fiber exterior has been a point of conversation since the new sedan first crept in front of a camera's lens some four months ago. While that evolved exterior isn't exactly new, we are getting our very first look at the Lagonda's beautifully crafted cabin. Aston Martin's Q branch had a big hand in the cabin work, adding wide swaths of leather and elaborate hand-stitching to the Rapide-based interior. Unlike the Rapide, though, those rear thrones look considerably more accommodating, particularly in regards to rear headroom. From a performance perspective, we have it on good authority that the Lagonda is currently exceeding 175 miles per hour in testing and that this first production model weighs no more than the Rapide, which we're guessing is thanks to the aforementioned carbon-fiber body. The first deliveries of the Lagonda are slated to begin during the first quarter of 2015. We're hoping we'll have much more info as that date approaches. Until then, we have ten images of the new Lagonda, several of which feature the beautiful, Q-spec interior. Have a look and then head down to Comments and let us know what you think.

Aston Martin considering US plant for DBX production

Aston Martin could be the next foreign automaker to begin production in the United States, according to the latest report from the Financial Times. The British automaker is reportedly considering a number of possibilities to handle assembly of the production version of the DBX crossover concept presented in March. Among them is the prospect of building a new plant in a Southern state like South Carolina or Tennessee, which could bring with it significant tax breaks and other incentives that would ease the process and make it financially attractive. Aston's main plant at Gaydon, UK, is reportedly nearing capacity as the company ramps up production, with a series of new models on the way. It moved production of the Rapide, its only model produced overseas, back to Gaydon in 2012 after it was initially handled off-site by Magna Steyr in Austria. That doesn't mean that the US proposal will necessary get the nod, though. Another possibility Aston is considering is taking over the former Jaguar facility at Browns Lane in nearby Coventry. The DBX concept was unveiled as an electric crossover coupe at the Geneva Motor Show last month, showing the way forward for the brand. The production version is expected to adopt a more conventional setup with four proper doors and an internal-combustion engine.