Ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Armored Jaguar Up for Auction

This armored car deserves no less than the toughest of owners--and who better to own it than the Iron Lady of Britain herself, Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher?

The car, which is a 2010 Jaguar XJ8L, is up for auction at Bonham's Goodwoods. It has a 4.2-liter, V8 engine with a six-speed automatic transmission, and runs on ballistic steel armoring and a thick ballistic glass "sandwich". What's more, it has a modified suspension with strengthened Bilstein B46 dampers, together with a silicon-alloy Eibach springs and run-flat tires.

Its other features include a siren system (that was removed after it retired from government service), and old car phone, and LED strobes behind the grille.

What sets this car apart from other armored government vehicles is that it's being auctioned off in the first place. Often, cars driven by British Prime Ministers aren't auctioned off because the U.K. has had a longstanding tradition of recycling old, armored government vehicles once they've reached a certain mileage. So not only is this Jaguar valuable for serious, name-dropping purposes, it's also priceless for being a rare vehicle.

According to the Bonhams, the current owner of the Jag bought the ex-Thatcher Jaguar at a UK auction two years ago." It was "recently serviced at Lookers Jaguar, West London, the car currently displays a total of only some 22,700 miles on the odometer, and is presented in commensurately excellent condition." It is accompanied by numerous documentation stating its authenticity.

Interestingly, this Jaguar was also owned by Prime Minister David Cameron. However, it was only on a loan basis during the 2010 parliamentary election, and was also used during his visit with Her Majesty the Queen. However, no one knows if it became his regular car afterwards.

Bonham estimates that the Jag will be sold between $33,000 and $46,000 (around PHP1.8 million to PHP2.5 million) during auction day.