Elton John auctions cars

Sir Elton: You have to cut ties loose

LONDON, England -- Pop star Sir Elton John is hoping to make around £1 million ($1.4 million) as 20 of his luxury classic cars go under the hammer.

The London-based auction house Christie's is scheduled to sell the fleet on Tuesday.

In an interview with Christie's, Sir Elton said: "I'm away so much and they don't get driven. I'd rather people had pleasure out of them.

"It's a collection that I've really loved collecting and it's hard ... I'm sad about it going but you have to cut ties loose."

It is the biggest sale of a car collection belonging to a celebrity. He is holding on to eight cars in his collection.

The most expensive car up for auction is a 1993 Jaguar XJ220, priced at between £130,000 ($ 183,000) and £160,000 ($225,000), which has a top speed of 213 mph and only 852 miles on the clock.

Another car bound to attract a lot of interest is a 1973 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI that is fitted with a £28,000 ($39,000), 36-speaker stereo system that once blew the rear window out because it was so loud.

The glass in the car, valued at around £110,000 ($155,000), was reinforced as a result.

A huge Watford Football Club fan, Sir Elton will be particularly sad to see his 1978 V8 Vantage Coupe go as the car -- priced at £20,000 ($28,000) to £30,000 ($42,000) -- is painted in the team's black, red and yellow colours.

Carey Wallace, Christie's rock and pop specialist, said Sir Elton called it the beast because of the way it roars.

Wallace said the cars were kept in heated garages by a fleet manager and were maintained so they were always ready to be driven at Sir Elton's whim.

Although Sir Elton has driven all the cars, his chauffeur often drives him because it is "safer" when listening to music, Wallace said.

A Ferrari Testarossa -- given to the singer on his 40th birthday by his record company in the United States -- is also being auctioned off.