1951 Cadillac used by Queen Elizabeth for Canadian royal tour for sale in Okanagan

A swanky black and red 1951 Cadillac that carried then Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh during a royal tour of the country is wrapping up its last public showing in the Okanagan this weekend.

It is owned by Peachland man Jim Carpenter who purchased the vehicle in 2014 and paid $15,000 for it. He first learned of the car in the 1980s and decided to take on the project after learning it was in need of a home and liked the car's royal history.

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“It was rusted, worn, burned, wrong, broken junker,” he said. “It’s been restored back to the 100% original. One of the features of the car is that it has its original dash plaque that was put on the car to commemorate the royal tour.”

The original interior was brown which is "great for showing off a princess" but Carpenter said he changed it to red to show off the car. Otherwise, it’s exactly the way it was when it was used for the royal tour.

Buckingham Palace got a car from Ford, GM and Chrysler to be a part of the couple's royal Canadian tour in 1951. The Chrysler has been restored and is still running but Carpenter thinks the Ford Lincoln they used is no longer in operation. The Cadillac has only had three owners.

Pictures show Elizabeth and the Duke in the back of the car, touring past Granville Street in Vancouver and in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island, he said.

It’s been back on the road since 2018 and only took him six weeks to restore but that’s only because he’s mechanically inclined and knew where to get all the parts, he said.

It takes some work to drive the old beast as it has no power steering and manual brakes.

“It’s a bit of a job to drive,” Carpenter said, but “I’m used to driving the '50s-era cars.”

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The car has made him more of a royalty fan, he said.

The Cadillac is for sale too, as it’s hard for him to maintain it living in Peachland on a dusty road and he has 10 other older cars he also looks after.

“If someone is really into royalty that wants a one-of-a-kind vehicle that you can actually get in and drive,” he said. “It’s a very valuable car.”

He declined to name the price.

This weekend, Sept. 17 and 18,  is likely its last public showing, he said. It's being showcased at the Okanagan Antique Tractor and Machinery Fair as part of a car show at Father Pandosy Mission in Kelowna.

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