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The Times of India
The Times of India
World
TOI World Desk

Barbara Hutton’s Rolls-Royce survived a prince’s fatal crash and sold for £166,750 in 2026

A luxury car built as a wedding gift became the centre of a remarkable story involving an American heiress, a Georgian prince, a fatal crash and a transatlantic journey. The 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Drophead Coupé, commissioned by Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton for her first husband, Prince Alexis Mdivani, survived its owner's death and went on to cross the Atlantic aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2. More than nine decades after its construction, the historic motor car sold for £166,750, including the buyer's premium, at a Bonhams auction on September 19, 2026. According to Bonhams' auction catalogue, its rarity, bespoke engineering and documented history made it an especially distinctive example of pre-war automotive craftsmanship.

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