Maharaja’s Rolls-Royce Heads to Auction

VOA Breaking News
July 27, 2011 at 11:30 am

A Rolls-Royce Phantom, customized for hunting tigers in India during the British era, is heading to the auction house with experts predicting it could fetch up to $1 million.

The built-to-order 1925 Torpedo Tourer or “Tiger Car” belonged to the Maharaja of Kota, Umed Singh II, who was an avid hunter in the western state of Rajasthan.

The bright red, chrome vehicle will be one of six pre-war Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars available for bidding when the London-based auction house Bonhams holds its annual auction in California next month.

The car is powered by an 8-liter, 6-cylinder engine and has customized gearing, which allowed it to stealthily maneuver through the jungle in search of big cats. It boasts swiveling searchlights and an arsenal of mounted weaponry, including a machine gun.