During the episode May took the car to 97mph on a runwayEx-Top Gear host James May itches to sell the classic 1972 Rolls Royce Corniche he dreamed of owning after finding out he is allergic to its leather seats 

  • The Grand Tour star regards the Corniche coupe as 'quintessentially British'
  • It was not until 2007 that James May finally got round to owning the Roller
  • Half an hour in the car makes him itch and he then has 'to boil' all his clothes
  • Car is going to auction next month with an estimate of £25,000 to £30,000

By Rachael Burford For Mailonline

Published: 11:13 EST, 8 February 2017 | Updated: 18:09 EST, 8 February 2017

James May has to sell his classic Rolls-Royce because he is allergic to the seats 

James May has to sell his classic Rolls-Royce because he is allergic to the seats 

James May is selling the classic Rolls-Royce he was always itching to buy - because he's allergic to the leather seats.

The Grand Tour star described the Corniche coupe as 'quiet, supremely comfortable and quintessentially British' and wanted one as far back as 1988.

However it wasn't until 2007 that he finally got round to owning the Roller when he purchased this 1972 red model during an episode of Top Gear.

However, after ten years of ownership - and fewer than 10,000 miles - he has decided to sell up because of the reaction he gets from the leather seats.

He said: 'I've decided that my 1972 Rolls-Royce Corniche has to go, because I've become allergic to it.

'And I mean this. If I drive it for more than half an hour I start itching, and then have to boil all my clothes.

'So it's going into an auction next month and it's expected to fetch one-and-a-half times what I paid for it. Maybe twice.'

May revealed he was getting rid of the Rolls-Royce on his Drive Tribe page.

The former Top Gear host described the Corniche coupe (pictured) as 'quiet, supremely comfortable and quintessentially British' and wanted one as far back as 1988

The former Top Gear host described the Corniche coupe (pictured) as 'quiet, supremely comfortable and quintessentially British' and wanted one as far back as 1988

After ten years of ownership- and fewer than 10,000 miles - Mr May has decided to sell the vehicle because of the reaction he gets from the leather seats 

After ten years of ownership- and fewer than 10,000 miles - Mr May has decided to sell the vehicle because of the reaction he gets from the leather seats 

Under the bonnet of the Roller is a 6.75-litre V8 engine, which develops around 235bhp to give it an original top speed of 120mph

Under the bonnet of the Roller is a 6.75-litre V8 engine, which develops around 235bhp to give it an original top speed of 120mph

The car will be auctioned off by Bonhams at its Goodwood Members' Meeting sale in West Sussex on March 19.

It has an estimate of £25,000 to £30,000 but a number of Corniches in good condition have been advertised for more than £40,000 and not many of them have appeared in the world's best-known car show.

He used the Roller for a Top Gear film in 2008 to show how you could successfully buy and own a secondhand car from a high-end manufacturer for the price of a new Ford Mondeo.

May drove his Rolls-Royce while Jeremy Clarkson used his Mercedes 600 as the two carried out numerous performance tests before causing chaos by driving the vast vehicles through central London.

May (pictured with The Grand Tour co-hosts Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond) used the car for a Top Gear film in 2008 to show how you could successfully buy and own a secondhand car from a high-end manufacturer for the price of a new Ford Mondeo

May (pictured with The Grand Tour co-hosts Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond) used the car for a Top Gear film in 2008 to show how you could successfully buy and own a secondhand car from a high-end manufacturer for the price of a new Ford Mondeo

May's car will be auctioned off by Bonhams at its Goodwood Members' Meeting sale in West Sussex on March 19 and is expected to fetch between £25,000 and £30,000

May's car will be auctioned off by Bonhams at its Goodwood Members' Meeting sale in West Sussex on March 19 and is expected to fetch between £25,000 and £30,000

During the episode May took the car to 97mph on a runway
Records show May's Rolls-Royce Corniche has sailed through every one of its last ten MOTs without even picking up an advisory

During an episode of Top Gear May took the car to 97mph on a runway. Records show May's Rolls-Royce Corniche has sailed through every one of its last ten MOTs without even picking up an advisory

During the episode May took the car to 97mph on a runway. He later told the Financial Times the Rolls-Royce is 'perfect' at around 65-70mph.

Under the bonnet is a 6.75-litre V8 engine which develops around 235bhp to give it an original top speed of 120mph.

Records show May's Rolls-Royce Corniche has sailed through every one of its last ten MOTs without even picking up an advisory. 

 

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