A rare but battered old Rolls Royce – once fit for the rich and royals – has gone up for sale.

A king of the road in its heyday, the vintage Silver Cloud once elegantly swept past inferior traffic.

But now it stands tired outside in Herne Bay in all weathers, rusting and forlorn, its glory days seemingly long over – unless it can be rescued from the prospect of the scrap yard.

It’s a far cry from the day back in 1965 when it glided regally out of the showroom – its lucky owner not a prince or pop star, but a well-healed butcher from Bradford.

Back then it cost upwards of £20,000 – equivalent to £350,000 in today’s money.

Now, almost 60 years later, it stands outside the home of its current owner in Herne Bay with a humble price tag of £10,000.

Retired caravan park owner Kevin Barrow bought the car five years ago with the intention of restoring it, but another project involving a vintage Mercedes convertible has taken priority.

“There aren’t many of these Silver Clouds left – and those that are have already been fully restored with price tags of up to £80,000 or are too far gone and only good for parts,” he said.

“It’s actually got good mechanicals and had almost £3,000 spent on the brakes before I got her. The interior is also decent, but the bodywork needs serious attention.

“I’m selling it as a restoration project but someone could buy it and scrap it for parts, I guess, which would be rather a shame.”

Kevin, 74, who used to run the Red House caravan park in Herne Bay, says he is sad to have to keep the old Roller outside but has no option.

He bought his first luxury car – a Bentley in need of some work – when he was just 18.

Ever since, he has had a passion for vintage motors, owning two Rolls Royce, a French Delage and a Jaguar XK 150 drophead.

“I should never have let the Jag go because it was a beautiful car and very sought after today,” he said.

He has mixed feelings about selling his latest Rolls but says it will fund the work on his 1966 Mercedes WIII 220 SEBC.

Launched in 1963, just 2,044 versions of the Mark III Silver Cloud rolled off the production line and now few survive.

“I’ve had a bit of interest but the car needs some bodywork and a full respray so we will see what happens,” said Kevin.