Rolls-Royce cars symbolise wealth and success. These used to be rare finds on Indian roads in the past. Today, however, there are many billionaires and millionaires who own Rolls-Royce cars and SUVs here, despite their hefty price tags. Interestingly, not every Rolls-Royce that you see today belongs to old money! Some belong to dreamers who started from scratch- men who refused to give up and worked their way up the ladder of success. One such story is that of Sathya Shankar, the owner of SG Corporates, who currently owns a Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII EWB. He had humble beginnings and slowly amassed wealth and success in life.
The Instagram page Automobili Ardent shared images of Sathya Shankar’s Phantom online. This millionaire is from Puttur, a small town in Karnataka. These pictures show the Phantom VIII EWB leaving a mall in Bengaluru. This ultra-luxury sedan now has a price of over Rs 11.3 Crores, before options. It is rare to see someone from a tier-3 or rural town in India own a car so expensive.
Shankar got this car delivered to his home in Puttur. It is finished in a classy light champagne colour. The interior has a dual-tone colour scheme comprising Burgundy and Black. The door sill has a metal plate that reads ‘Specially ordered for Sathya Shankar K’. Since it is the EWB model, the wheelbase itself is 3,772mm.
Rolls Royce launched the Phantom VIII here in February 2018. The Series II (facelift) came in 2022. The eighth-generation Phantom is built on a new spaceframe platform that’s also used in the Cullinan SUV. This has made the sedan lighter without compromising on rigidity, and has also improved the ride quality and refinement levels. The sound insulation on this vehicle is phenomenal.
Inside, the Phantom VIII has the ‘Gallery’, the single fixed glass piece that sits on the dashboard, also offered on models like the Cullinan. Additionally, it also has the Stalight roof, champagne chiller and flutes, electric-closing doors, and more.
Powering the new Phantom is the 6.75-litre, twin-turbo, V12 petrol engine, capable of producing 571hp and 900 Nm. It is mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. This ultra-luxury sedan can sprint to 100 kph from a complete standstill in just 5.3-5.4 seconds.
Decades ago, Shankar’s life looked entirely different. He was just another hardworking man from Puttur. He ferries passengers in an autorickshaw for a living. The three-wheeler was bought on loan, and thus, every rupee he earned mattered! Much of his monthly earnings would go into repaying it. This did not, however, limit his dreams. He wanted to become successful in life. Once the loan was fully repaid, he bought a car- a Hindustan Ambassador.
In 1987, he decided to start his first business. He opened a small tyre dealership. In the years that followed, he found success with this venture. In 2002, he launched the Bindu Jeera Masala Soda- a brand that would shoot to stellar acceptance in the next few years. It was essentially a carbonated drink with a flavour that’s very familiar to Indians- that of Cumin-based ‘Jeera soda’.
This product managed to connect instantly with Indians and rose to fame in no time. It found takers across India, yielding Shankar massive profits over time. Today, SG Corporates is known to have an annual turnover of over Rs 800 crores.
Clearly, Sathya Shankar’s success and wealth aren’t inherited, but earned. Rags to riches stories such as these are truly inspirational...