It cuts quite a dash cruising along Clacton seafront.
The Silver Wraith Rolls-Royce once carried Princess Margaret to glamorous venues across London.
Now you are more likely to see Kay Allwright in the back seat being driven by her husband, Ronnie, who paid the princess's son, Lord Linley, an undisclosed sum for the dream car - plus extra for the royal 3 GXM number plate.
Royal Roller - Ronnie Allwright with the Rolls-Royce which used to belong to Princess Margaret
Mr Allwright, who owns Burcarts ironmonger's store in Old Road, has a passion for Rolls-Royces.
When he found Princess Margaret's was up for grabs, he decided he had to try to get it.
"I actually found out about it from a newspaper article and followed it up it up with a firm in Great Dunmow, which was handling the sale," he said.
"I phoned up, asked for some details and said I would have it. There were a lot of people after it and I paid the going price. There was no room for negotiation."
However, he declined to reveal the price he paid for his piece of motoring history.
"It gives me a great thrill and a lot of pleasure to own the Rolls-Royce, which belonged to a member of the royal family," he added.
The burgundy-coloured car still has all the extra little finishing touches called for by the princess.
They include green cloth upholstered seats instead of the usual black leather and light green lambswool rugs and rosewood trim.
The princess paid £49,000 for the Roller back in 1980. It has about 50,000 miles on the clock.
Published Thursday, April 10, 2003
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article