A Royal Victory: Yohan Poonawalla’s Maharaja Rolls-Royce Wins Top Award
In a testament to India’s rich automotive heritage, billionaire industrialist Yohan Poonawalla’s magnificent Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith won the prestigious Duke of Marlborough Award at the Salon Prive Concours in the UK. The award was presented at the 20th anniversary edition of the event, held at the historic Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.
The Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, a stunning “Maharaja car,” was chosen by His Grace Charles James Spencer-Churchill, the 12th Duke of Marlborough, as his personal favorite after admiring its bespoke features. The Duke of Marlborough was particularly captivated by the “amount of bling on this car,” pointing out the solid silver crests. This marks the second time Yohan Poonawalla has won this coveted award, having previously won for his Mysore Bentley in 2021. With this latest victory for his “Mysore Rolls-Royce,” Poonawalla has reinforced his prominence in the world of Maharaja cars, particularly the Rolls-Royce and Bentley marques.
The Maharaja of Mysore’s Legendary Rolls-Royce Legacy
The winning car is a 1949 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith (chassis WCB40), which was originally delivered to HH the Maharaja of Mysore, who, at the time, was the second richest man in the world after the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Maharaja of Mysore was one of Rolls-Royce’s most valued customers, and his frequent and large orders were so legendary that they gave birth to a special phrase within the company’s parlance: ‘Doing a Mysore’. The phrase was used to refer to producing cars for bulk orders, typically numbering seven. This is a legendary phrase in the history of Rolls-Royce as the company typically made very few cars for each order.
The Maharaja’s ownership of the Silver Wraith highlights the unique and often eccentric luxury demands of India’s pre-independence royalty. The car was coachbuilt as a foursome drophead coupe by the stylish coachbuilder James Young. It was finished in carnation red with red and grey leather upholstery and came with a host of bespoke extras and regalia. The long list of features included solid silver crests, illuminated double-headed bird plaques, folding tables with polished veneered wood, and a sliding cabinet in the rear seat squab for silver flasks and china cups. In a truly unique detail, a secret locker was fitted behind the rear seat specifically for the Maharani’s jewelry.
This quintessential Maharaja car was so complex and bespoke that it required no less than four of the world’s most reputed coachbuilders to complete it. The car later ended up with the Maharaja of Bharatpur and was even used by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip and Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II during their visits to India.
Supercars and Curated Classics: The Yohan Poonawalla Collection
The Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith is a centerpiece of the famed Yohan Poonawalla Collection, based in Pune, India. The collection is an eclectic mix of pre-war, post-war, modern classics, and supercars. It is carefully curated with a special focus on a car’s provenance and pedigree.
Yohan Poonawalla has become a recognized name in the international motoring community for his efforts to showcase India’s rich automotive heritage on global platforms. In 2023, he became the first Indian to be featured in the global ranking of the ‘Top 100 Classic Car Collectors of the World’ and also won the ‘Classic Car Ambassador of the Year’ award. He was also named ‘Collector of the Year’ at the inaugural Geneva International Motor Show in Qatar in 2023. The Silver Wraith’s recent award further solidifies his role as an ambassador of Indian motoring heritage.
The Salon Prive Concours brings together outstanding historic cars, including pre-war, post-war, supercars, and hypercars from various countries. Poonawalla’s victory with a classic Rolls-Royce demonstrates that a car’s unique history and bespoke craftsmanship can still stand out among the world’s most impressive modern and vintage vehicles. The car’s success proves the growing appreciation for coachbuilt automobiles even today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What award did Yohan Poonawalla’s Rolls-Royce win? A: Yohan Poonawalla’s Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith won the prestigious Duke of Marlborough Award at the Salon Prive Concours in the UK.
Q: Who originally owned the winning Rolls-Royce? A: The 1949 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith was originally delivered to HH the Maharaja of Mysore.
Q: What is the meaning of the phrase ‘Doing a Mysore’? A: The phrase “Doing a Mysore” was coined by Rolls-Royce to refer to bulk orders of their cars, usually numbering seven, placed by the Maharaja of Mysore.
Q: What makes this Rolls-Royce so unique? A: The car is uniquely bespoke, featuring solid silver crests, illuminated plaques, a sliding cabinet for flasks and china, and a secret locker for jewelry. It also required four of the world’s most reputed coachbuilders to complete it.
Q: Is this Yohan Poonawalla’s first time winning the Duke of Marlborough Award? A: No, Yohan Poonawalla previously won the Duke of Marlborough Award for his Mysore Bentley in 2021.
You can add more to this story by commenting below.
