Maharaja’s Tiger-Hunting Rolls To Be Auctioned - If you’ve been yearning to buy a classic car that comes complete with an elephant¬-killing cannon and a trailer-mounted machine gun, we may have just the thing. A truly unique, handmade 1925 Rolls-Royce New Phantom automobile will be auctioned by Bonhams, one of the world’s oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The upcoming sale will be held at Bonhams’ Quail Lodge sale, which is held each August in Carmel, California during the world-famous Monterey Auto Week. More information on all types of cars is available at Ford Dealer Minneapolis. The car was originally custom-made for Sahib Bahadur of India, who was officially known as Umed Singh II, Maharaja of Kotah, for the purpose of tiger hunting. Umed Singh II was a ruling Maharaja of Kotah from 1889 to 1940.
To create the body of the car, the Rolls-Royce Limited company, which was located in Derby, England at the time, employed their preferred coachbuilders, Barker & Company of London. Barker created the highly specialized, custom-made Sports Touring body that His Highness the Maharaja used on his tiger-hunting expeditions. The large, immaculately crafted car is powered by an 8.0-liter, 6-cylinder engine with dual-spark ignition that’s set to a low gearing ratio, which allowed it to move stealthily and powerfully through the dense jungles of Rajasthan. Today, the state of Rajasthan contains two national tiger sanctuaries, Ranthambore and Sariska Tiger Reserve.
The production model of the tiger-hunting car was known as the New Phantom or 40/50HP Phantom when it was released. It replaced the Silver Ghost with updates to the chassis and running gear. The car, which was eventually known as the Phantom I, was Roll-Royce’s flagship model until the Phantom II was released in 1929. Toyota Dealer Minneapolis offers complete services for all your automotive dealership needs. The Phantom I was a so successful that Rolls-Royce ultimately began manufacturing the auto model for the American market at their plant in Springfield, Massachusetts. American versions of the Phantom I were slightly different than their British counterparts, featuring different wheelbases and a 3-speed transmission. Some American Phantom I cars didn’t have front brakes.
The purpose-built motorcar contains all the standard luxury fittings one might expect from Rolls-Royce, with a few additional features not offered on production models of the car, including a hidden safe, a nickel-plated hissing snake horn, a mounted Howdah pistol (a pistol-sized double-barrel shotgun), a rifle stand in the rear passenger compartment, and two powerful brass searchlights used for spotting tigers in the dark. A Lantaka cannon (a bronze cannon that was usually mounted on merchant ships) is attached to the bumper. The car also features a machine gun mounted on a matching trailer, for those times that call for just a bit more firepower.
In light of the car’s history in India, the Indian Consulate had requested that then-owner Rubin Jurman give the car to the Indian government, which wanted to display the car in a museum exhibit as part of India’s national heritage. Jurman respectfully declined the request. Jurman agreed to sell the car to California car enthusiast, Jim Faulknor. Ford Dealer Los Angeles is a one stop source for all your new car needs. Shortly afterward, the Indian Consulate offered to buy the car for $200,000 more than the agreed on price, but Jurman honored the contract he’d drafted with Faulknor. After being shown in Carmel, the car will be auctioned for the first time. The expected bid price is between $750,000 and $1 million.
Photos (top to bottom) by Bonhams, Bonhams, Bjørn Christian Tørrissen.
Tags: Rolls-Royce, Ford Dealer Minneapolis, Phantom I, New Phantom, Toyota Dealer Minneapolis, 40/50HP Phantom, Bonhams, Quail Lodge, Ford Dealer Los Angeles, Monterey Auto Week
