royal rods

When Bernhard Prinz zur Lippe-Biesterfeld (1911-2004) first came to officially meet his mother in law Queen Wilhelmina in 1936, he and Princess Juliana drove up to the palace in his beige '35 Ford V8 roadster. While it is now regarded as a very stylish vehicle, the people then didn't see it fit for a prince and mockingly called it just a little Ford. The newly engaged royal couple then toured the Netherlands in that Ford. Not everyone was amused because Bernhard quickly became infamous for his wild and reckless driving and soon got told by the Queen that he wasn't allowed to go any faster than 70 km/h when the Princess was in the car with him.
Late 1936 he got himself a new '37 Ford roadster with a souped up flathead V8. His driving hadn't improved much; he crashed into a truck at high speed and nearly lost his life. He kept the steering wheel in his study as a memento...