Pirelli Producing More Royal Rubber

It’s been more than eight years since Her Majesty the Queen last had new tyres fitted on her Bentley, and although she’s probably not clocked up excessive miles in the limousine, some tyre and vehicle manufacturers recommend replacing tyres every six years to avoid risks associated with tyre aging. Perhaps with this in mind, a replacement set has been ordered for her 2002 Bentley – a procedure a little more involved than just popping into the local fast-fit centre.

According to the News & Star newspaper, the Queen’s staff approached Pirelli last March with Her Majesty’s round rubber requirements; the Italian tyre maker seemed the obvious choice, having performed sterling service producing the Bentley’s original set of tyres at its Carlisle plant eight years ago. Back then the new limousine was fitted with size 285/55R19 Scorpion Zero tyres manufactured in a special production run and fitted to the Bentley by hand at the Pirelli factory under the supervision of Bentley personnel.

News of the Queen’s order emerged just days after it became known that the Carlisle plant may benefit from major Pirelli investment should it be chosen ahead of a company facility in Romania.