Game Hunting With This 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom

Is A Rolls-Royce Meant For The Bush? The Maharaja Thought So

Let’s face it. Royals live a life just like ours, for they breathe, eat and operate just like us. But they have a chance to live larger, taste finer things in life and … well, enjoy life with a bigger spoon than ours. They can probably afford more Rolls-Royce than ours.

In early 1925, the Maharaja of Kota contacted Barker and Co., Ltd. of London—at the time, the preferred coach-builder for Rolls-Royce chassis—to specifically outfit a Rolls-Royce New Phantom (aka Phantom I) for service as his estate’s main hunting car. When it finally went down to India, it was extremely well equipped for hunting Bengal tigers and other wild game.

An avid big-game hunter, the Maharaja, reigned in Kotah from 1889 until his death in 1940. This specially crafted car enjoyed ample opportunity to engage his passion on the extensive grounds of his family’s private estate.

Monarchs, world leaders and titans of international industry frequently hunted alongside him, as his guests. Special big-game hunting features specified on the Maharaja’s order graced this car.

They included the two large Stephen Grebel searchlights installed on the car—one at the front, and one at the rear. The lights swiveled left-to-right and were used to locate and startle a big game. A Tapley gradient meter was added to the instrumentation and a nickel-plated snake horn was installed.

Extra-tall tires were specified for rough terrain, while a low gearing ratio helped the massive vehicle make its way through mud and brush. In addition, the standard New Phantom OHV straight six-cylinder engine displacing 7668 CC (467 cubic inches) powers the Maharaja’s Rolls-Royce hunting special. It is backed by a four-speed manual gearbox. To serve its purpose as hunting gear, the car was originally painted grey. It would later change to some royal red/vintage arsenal.