This Armstrong Siddeley shooting brake was ordered new by HRH The Duke of York, later King George VI, a devotee of the Coventry marque since its earliest days.

The Duke had first visited the Parkside factory in 1920 while on an official visit to Coventry; he was shown around by John Siddeley and ordered a 30hp model, which was followed by two further 18hp cars in 1922.

Built in 1928 and delivered in January 1929, 'UL 10' was taken to the Duke and Duchess's Scottish home, Birkhall on the Balmoral estate, where it was used for three years.

Armstrong Siddeley had been created in 1919 by the fusion of the mighty Armstrong Whitworth engineering combine and the Coventry based Siddeley-Deasy Motor Manufacturing Company.

Managing director John Siddeley's son Ernest had toured various car factories in the USA in 1919 and the first Armstrong Siddeley model - the 30hp - benefited from the knowledge he had acquired.

Indeed, the fledgling firm even went so far as to acquire Marmon Series 34 fo...