A very unique classic Rolls Royce is available at Barrett-Jackson. While many old luxury cars can be found at auctions, not many boast a machine gun like this 1925 Rolls Royce Phantom I model! It was custom made for Umed Singh II, the maharaja of Kotah from 1889 through 1940. The maharaja ordered the Rolls Royce to further hunting hobby, which included entertaining monarchs, world leaders and other titans in the wild.
This Rolls Royce was contracted through Barker and Co., Ltd of London to serve as a hunting vehicle worthy of royalty. Barker and Co. was the preferred coachbuilder for Rolls Royce at the time.
The 1925 Rolls Royce “Tiger Hunter” at a glance:
- Interesting features include the machine gun, searchlight, nickel-plated snake horn, robust tires for treading the outback and lockable gun racks.
- There is also an elephant gun mounted to the rear bumper. The maharaja enjoyed big game hunting.
- It is powered by an 8-liter straight 6-cylinder engine mated to a four-speed manual transmission.
- The machine gun is a giant .450 caliber hand-cranked deal that is towed behind the car.
- Lot 740 at Las Vegas 2013 auction
- VIN 23RC
- Reserve not currently met. This means it could be yours.
This bespoke classic Rolls Royce is expected to net somewhere close to a million dollars, if a buyer is found. It is listed on the website currently, but could be sold at any moment. This very same car was auctioned by luxury house Bonhams in 2011 without reaching a sale, indicating the wait could be a while.
The problems with finding a new buyer could include the following: the original delivery color was gray, and some of the guns are not part of the original order. It was not unusual for royalty of that age to custom design and order everything, it was simply the way it was done. The practice is quite similar to celebrities and the uber-wealthy of today customizing their rides and homes down to every last detail—sometimes it looks great and others it generates odd looks.
Post by Imagine Lifestyles Luxury Rentals