A GREY Rolls-Royce used by the late first Earl Mountbatten of Burma has been sold at auction for £69,700.
An anonymous telephone bidder snapped up the luxury vehicle for the hammer price of £62,000, plus buyer's premium.
The uncle of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, used his Phantom II Sedanca de Ville to be transported from his home, Broadlands, Romsey, to London.
He often took the opportunity to catch up on his sleep while being driven and had the car specially modified so that the front seat collapsed into the back seat, which also reclined.
From there, he was able to lie completely flat for the entire journey.
The 40/50 horsepower car was built in 1929-30 and owned by Mountbatten for the next seven years.
He even adorned the vehicle with a special registration plate LM 3698 - representing his name, Louis Mountbatten, followed by his London Mayfair telephone number.
The car sold at auction house Bonhams to an anonymous telephone bidder and will be taken to a European museum.
Lord Mountbatten ordered the car, reputedly the last model Henry Royce designed himself, in 1929.
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