Prince Charles' Aston Martin Convertible Estimated to Fetch £70,000

A 6.3-Litre 1994 Aston Martin Virage Volante, used by the Prince of Wales until 2007-2008, is expected to fetch around £ 70,000 during a Bonhams auction.

The convertible will be sold as part of Bonhams' Aston Martin Sale at Aston Martin Works Service, Newport Pagnell on 19 May, 2012.

Described by Fast Lane magazine as the "most aristocratic of convertibles", this top lot at the Aston Martin upcoming auction is one of the major attractions of the sale.

According to Forbes, Prince Charles' fascination for Aston Martins is a known fact. Queen Elizabeth II reportedly gave him an Aston Martin DB6 MKII for his 21st birthday.

It was Aston Martin that Prince William and Kate Middleton famously used after their departure from the Buckingham Palace following their Royal Wedding. The car was converted to run on bio-ethanol fuel distilled from surplus British wine.

Having debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in 1991 and owned by Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd, the Aston Martin Virage Volante has been on display at Aston Martin's Headquarters at Gaydon since 2008.

The arrival of this Aston Martin Virage Volante at Aston Martin's Headquarters four years ago coincided with Aston Martin Works Service's project to convert Prince Charles' DB6 MKII to run on bio-ethanol fuel.

Apart from Prince Charles' convertible, another car at Bonhams is gaining worldwide attention. A 1972 Avanti II Coupé originally owned by Raymond Loewy, the designer of the Coca-Cola bottle has been set for sale at an upcoming Monte Carlo Bonhams auction in May, 2012.

Although estimated lower than Prince Charles' Aston Martin at 50,000 pounds, the car is included in the top lot of the sale.

Loewy purchased the Avanti II Coupé that he himself had designed directly from the Avanti Motor Corporation in Indiana in 1972.

The car was then sent via New York to Loewy's home in Paris, where the car was one of the very few Avantis to come to France.

The car has had three owners including the Loewy and is offered for the first time in the open market. It forms part of a small private collection of cars offered in the sale and is expected to be of interest to designers as well as collectors of motor cars.