Jump directly to the content
FIT FOR A KING

Custom Rolls Royce that was built for Edward VIII set to sell at auction for whopping £200,000

A CUSTOMISED Rolls Royce built for Edward VIII is expected to sell for a whopping £200,000 at auction.

The rare royal model is expected to get plenty of interest when it goes under the hammer next month.

 The rare Rolls Royce model was used by Edward VIII for more than a decade
8
The rare Rolls Royce model was used by Edward VIII for more than a decade

Built in 1927, the breathtaking Phantom 1 saloon was used by Edward VIII while he was a prince.

The prized motor was then used when he became king in 1936 following the death of his father George V.

Later that year, while the car was still in his possession, he abdicated the throne to marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson.

After a decade in his ownership, the car was sold in 1937 to a former waiter to the royal household.

 The motor is expected to sell for a whopping £200,000 when it goes up for auction
8
The motor is expected to sell for a whopping £200,000 when it goes up for auction
 It boasts a classy cream sofa-like bench for passengers to sit in the back
8
It boasts a classy cream sofa-like bench for passengers to sit in the back
 A specialist mechanic spent 30 years restoring the Phantom 1 into its original condition
8
A specialist mechanic spent 30 years restoring the Phantom 1 into its original condition
 The motor was used by Edward VII, who abdicated the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson
8
The motor was used by Edward VII, who abdicated the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis SimpsonCredit: Alamy

Despite its royal history, little is known about what happened to the vehicle until it was found in a pile of machinery in the early 1980s.

Over the past 30 years, Rolls Royce specialist Edward Overton has painstaking restored the classy motor back into its original condition.

He even sourced front lamps from other cars in the same period to make the restoration as accurate as possible.

The eye-catching motor features a traditional grille, wooden dashboard and a cream sofa-like bench so passengers can sit in comfort in the back seat.

It also boasts a small of model on top of a globe, which denotes a royal Rolls Royce and has been used by George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.

 The motor has a small mascot on its bonnet which is a sign used on royal Rolls Royces
8
The motor has a small mascot on its bonnet which is a sign used on royal Rolls Royces
 It is expected to attract plenty of interest when it goes up for auction
8
It is expected to attract plenty of interest when it goes up for auction
 Headlights from the same time period were used to make the restoration as accurate as possible
8
Headlights from the same time period were used to make the restoration as accurate as possible

Richard Stafford, a specialist with Bonhams, said: "This is a beautifully-restored example of an early Rolls Royce which is truly fit for a king."

Another rare motor lined with a pure gold engine is tipped to sell for £19million.

And it could set the record for the most expensive British motor ever sold at auction.

Rolls-Royce covered in four million diamonds spotted driving through Glasgow