Maharaja's bespoke Rolls-Royce due to be sold

A one-of-a-kind 1925 Rolls-Royce customised New Phantom, used by an Indian maharaja for tiger hunting, is to be sold in the US.

The car is expected to fetch from $750,000 to $1 million (£464,850 to £619,800) when it is sold at auction in California later this year.

Uniquely, the machine boasts a series of guns mounted to its cabin as well as a Lantaka cannon attached to its rear bumper, pushing up premiums for even the cheapest classic car insurance holders.

"There was no going to the dealership and just picking out a Phantom in a colour you liked, the were built to order," specialist David Swig of auction house Bonhams told the New York Times.

The car comes with a six-cylinder engine and was fitted for Umed Singh II, the maharajah of Kota, in both Derby and London by London coach firm Barker and Company.

Rolls-Royce's New Phantom model was the second car produced by the company, replacing the Silver Ghost in 1925. The Bonhams auction takes place on August 19th near Pebble Beach, California.

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