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

Barbara Hutton’s Rolls-Royce survived a prince’s fatal crash and sold for £166,750 in 2026 (Image Credit: Bonhams) 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.A Rolls-Royce commissioned for a royal romanceBarbara Hutton, granddaughter of F. W. Woolworth, the founder of the Woolworth retail fortune, was among the world's wealthiest women by the age of 21. Often described in the press as the “Poor Little Rich Girl”, she became known for her lavish lifestyle and turbulent personal life. I...