​The King of Rock and Rollers: Elvis's Rolls-Royce Phantom' which he had to paint silver so his mother's chickens would stop pecking at it, to sell for $300,000

A prized possession of one music's biggest petrolheads, Elvis Presley, is set to fetch up to $300,000 at auction next month.

Elvis bought the Rolls-Royce Phantom V brand new in 1963 and had it custom-fitted with the latest gadgets including a telephone, electric windows and a microphone.

The car was initially midnight blue, but he was forced to have it re-painted a lighter silver because his mother's chickens would repeatedly peck at their reflections when he visited her.

The car will go under the hammer next month at a Bonhams sale in The Quail, California and is expected to sell for between $200,000 and $300,000.

Elvis, then a 28-year-old global sensation, had the 20-foot long car shipped out to his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, where he entertained the likes of The Beatles.

Memphis's most famous son held on to the Rolls-Royce for five years before donating it to charity, where it sold for $35,000 (£20,500).

It then disappeared for the next 20 years until it was bought by its current owner at a memorabilia auction in London.

Bonhams yesterday described the Rolls-Royce as 'one of the more significant Phantom V's to have come up for sale in recent years'.