Good marks get Diddy's son a R2.9m Maybach

Most 17-year-olds are grateful just to borrow the keys to their dad's car for an evening as a reward for passing their exams.

But Justin, the son of rapper and movie star Sean 'Diddy' Combs, is not your average 17-year-old.

When he passed his exams, his dad bought him a £250000 (R2.9-million) Maybach limousine - his second in a year.

"Justin has turned himself around and is now an honours student, which he wasn't before - so I wanted to treat him," Diddy told The Sun.

The lavish gift will court controversy because Diddy has already had to defend buying Justin a Maybach for his 16th birthday. At the time, some questioned the morality of buying a child a gift worth nearly twice the price of an average US house. At the time, Diddy said: "I can do whatever I want to do with my children, and you can't question me about it."

Justin's second Maybach has a custom-made interior to go with its 410kW 5.5-litre V12 engine.

"It's a collector's car so maybe he will use it for special occasions ... like on a first date," said Diddy, "but like all my kids, he prefers the simpler things to the expensive things. Simple tastes."