Yohan Poonawalla, billionaire businessman and chairman of the Poonawalla Engineering Group, is one of India’s most celebrated car collectors. He is as well-known for his taste in cars as he is for his multi-billion-dollar business empire. Poonawalla has, over the years, built a formidable garage. Earlier this year, he made headlines with a new purchase: he then added India’s most expensive Rolls-Royce to the collection. But that’s not all. He also owns a Range Rover that was once used by Queen Elizabeth II.
Poonawalla purchased the historic SUV earlier this year. This 2016 Range Rover SDV8 Autobiography LWB, finished in Loire Blue colour, used to serve in the royal fleet of Queen Elizabeth II. It even ferried US President Barack Obama and his wife during their visit to the United Kingdom in 2016.
Interestingly, this Range Rover still has the original Royal registration plate (OU16 XVH)- something that you rarely see when such cars are auctioned off. It also retains several of the special fittings from its Royal service era, such as extra grab bars, covert cop lighting, fixed steps, and sirens.
Poonawalla is fully aware of how exclusive and priceless this Range Rover is and has even flexed it on Instagram.
Under its hood, this Range Rover SDV8 Autobiography houses a 4.4-litre V8 diesel that makes 335 bhp and 740 Nm. It comes paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. This may not be the flashiest SUV in the Poonawalla collection, but stands exquisite with its historic value.
In addition to this, he also owns a 1979 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI Limousine, which was once used by the late Queen. His collection is also said to have more historically significant vehicles in it, like those used by Maharajas, Sheikhs, and even the Pope.
In April this year, Poonawalla was in news again for buying India’s most expensive car- a Rolls Royce Phantom VIII EWB worth Rs 22 crores. This is also his 22nd Rolls-Royce.
This Phantom VIII EWB is finished in a bespoke Bohemian Red shade and has a lot of customisation gone into it. The Spirit of Ecstasy is finished in solid Gold, and the car rides on 22-inch brushed silver alloy wheels. You can even see a unique ‘P’ monogram (denoting ‘Poonawalla’) on the rear quarter panels.
The cabin has also been personalised heavily. It has been specced with a special privacy suite. This adds a partition between the driver and the passengers seated at the rear. Rolls-Royce, in fact, doesn’t offer this feature anymore. Poonawalla, however, had it custom-ordered and installed in his car- shows just how affluent and influential he is!
The Phantom EWB is powered by a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 engine that delivers 571 bhp and 900 Nm of torque. It comes mated to an automatic transmission.
A video shared online showed the new Rolls Royce leading a convoy of other exotic cars owned by the industrialist. The lineup had the likes of a Bentley Flying Spur W12, a Bentley Bentayga, a Land Rover Defender, and another Phantom in it. His car collection is said to have a combined worth of over 100 crore rupees.
The Poonawalla collection isn’t limited to modern cars alone. The industrialist is known for his love for classic and vintage cars. He was even named the 'Classic Car Ambassador of the Year 2023' and 'Collector of the Year 2023' at the Qatar Motor Show and even ranks among the top 100 collectors in the world.