Hans-Günther Zach created a fabulous museum in Mulheim/Main 20 years ago, based around Rolls Royces including the famous 'Star of India'.
Now the whole collection, consists of 24 Rolls Royces - some with notable individual histories - alongside 3 Bentleys and around 50 pieces of antique furniture is being put up for sale.
You can actually bid for the whole collection as a kind of divine job lot if you wish, with bids starting from €5 million which can be placed any time until September 15.
Bidders with little more than €5 million are likely to be disappointed however. The Star of India itself could well fetch more than €5 million if sold on its own. In fact it's speculated that it will probably break the current record for a car's price of €9 million, set by a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa in May.
A Phantom II 40/50 HP Continental All-Weather Convertible, the Star of India was built to cater for the whims of the Maharaja of Rajkot, and delivered in 1934 with unique features including extra headlights which swivel with the steering wheel.
Other cars in the collection include the 1926 Phantom I Open Tourer known as the Aluminium Sculpture. As the name suggests, the car's body has a dazzling appearance which couldn't be achieved with paint alone.
Also, the first Rolls Royce to be named 'Best Car in the World', the Silver Ghost Coupé de Ville is on offer. Owned first by Jean Hennessy (of the Hennessy Cognac brand), it retained the alcoholic connection when it passed into the hands of winemaker Baron von Rothchild.
The Majaraja of Rewa's 'Hunting Car', a Phantom II Cabriolet is also on offer. It's unlikely the buyer will want it for the same purpose he did: pursuing tigers.
So long as these cars are maintained in the beautiful condition they are currently in, the buyer can be confident they will keep their value. Nothing quite like them is made any more.
