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Maharajah of Kotah's Tiger-hunting Rolls Royce Up for Auction

The forthcoming Quail Lodge auction next month will include the sale of a unique, handmade automobile, that once belonged to Indian royalty. The vehicle in question is a custom-made 1925 Rolls-Royce New Phantom that was originally commissioned by Sahib Bahadur of India, officially known as Umed Singh II, Maharaja of Kotah, for the purpose of tiger hunting.

The Rolls-Royce Limited company–then in Derby, England–employed preferred coachbuilders Barker & Company of London who created the highly specialized and bespoke Sports Touring body for His Highness the Maharaja.

The car is powered by an 8.0-liter, 6-cylinder engine with dual-spark ignition that's set to a low gearing ratio, making it ideal for use in the jungles of Rajasthan.

In addition, the standard luxury fittings for which Rolls-Royce and Barker are renowned, the purpose-built motorcar contains a hidden safe, a nickel-plated hissing snake horn, mounted Howdah gun (double-barrel shotgun in pistol form), rifle stand in the rear passenger compartment, two powerful searchlights for night spotting, a mountable Lantaka cannon, attached to the bumper, and, if that weren't enough, a machine gun mounted on an attached, matching trailer.

Due to its distinctive history, it's been said that the Indian Consulate had once requested the car be repatriated to India to be displayed in a museum as a piece of national heritage. Respectfully declined by the then owner, the car will now be available at auction for the first time and carries an estimate of $750,000-$1,000,000.

The Quail Lodge sale is being held each August in Carmel, California during the world-famous Pebble Beach Car Week.
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