'Most romantic car' in world goes under the hammerLast Updated: Monday, December 3, 2007 | 12:42 PM ET
CBC News The deluxe Canadian-made McLaughlin-Buick once used to shuttle King Edward VIII and his love Wallace Simpson, for whom he would eventually abdicate the throne, will go under the hammer Monday at Bonhams auction house in London, England.
The 1936 McLaughlin-Buick limousine, once dubbed "the most romantic car in the world," now has clocked 42,827 miles, or about 69,000 kilometres. The auction house expects the car will fetch between £40,000 and £50,000, or about $60,000 to $75,000.
In 1935, Edward, then Prince of Wales, commissioned the car at a Lendrum & Hartman Ltd. dealership. A Lendrum representative travelled from England to Oshawa, Ont. to supervise the customization of the car. The limo was delivered to the King in February 1936, after Edward's accession to the throne.
Bonhams notes that the King and Simpson, a thrice-divorced American socialite, favoured the car — decked out with drink and jewelry cabinets, vanity mirrors, luncheon trays and blinds — for the privacy it offered.
"Rumours that the King intended to marry the thrice-wed socialite spread, splitting the nation; for many it was unthinkable that Wallace Simpson might be queen," Bonhams said in a release. "The Buick was often seen spiriting the couple with blinds drawn to hide them from prying eyes."
The sleek black car was later used to ferry the King to Downing Street where he announced to Prime Minister Baldwin his intentions to abdicate the throne. The following day the King made a formal announcement on BBC Radio.
"This was a thing I had to judge entirely for myself," Edward said. "The other person most nearly concerned has tried up to the last to persuade me to take a different course. I have made this, the most serious decision of my life, only upon the single thought of what would, in the end, be best for all."
Edward and Simpson were later married in the Loire Valley in France. The couple kept the car for three more years.
http://www.sjwillderantiques.co.uk/
