Maharaja's ''Tiger-Car'' Rolls-Royce on auction

New Delhi, July 26: A blazing red Rolls-Royce customised with a machine gun for Umed Singh II, the erstwhile Maharaja of Kota, who is said to have used the car for hunting tigers, is now up for auction.

Equipped with powerful brass searchlights that swing side to side and an arsenal of animal killing weaponry, the 1925 Torpedo Tourer or "Tiger Car" will be among six pre-war Rolls Royce and Bentley cars up for grabs at the Bonhams annual auction in California on August 18-19.

The "Tiger Car" is estimated to fetch between USD 750,000 to USD 1 million in the sale, according to information released by London-based auction house Bonhams.

The handmade automobile commissioned by the maharajah, also known as Sahib Bahudur Singh, is powered by an 8 litre, 6-cylinder engine with dual spark ignition set to a low gearing ratio that allowed it to creep powerfully through the jungles of Rajasthan.

Umed Singh II who ruled Kota in Rajasthan from 1889 to 1940 is said to have been an avid hunter. The Rolls-Royce company employed London coach builders Barker

PTI