Advertisement

Billionaire vaccine makers Cyrus and Adar Poonawalla use two Rolls Royce Phantoms to reach Pune racecourse [Video]

The Poonawalla family’s taste in exquisite cars is relatively well-known. The family owns several high-end luxury and sports cars and keeps adding a vehicle to the garage every now and then. The owners of Serum Institute of India (SII), which manufactured the Covishield vaccine in India and exported it around the world are also known for their horse racing traditions. Here Cyrus Poonawalla and his son Adar Poonawalla are spotted at a Pune horse racing track. Both father and son reached the venue in their own Rolls Royce Phantom sedans.

Rolls Royce Phantom VIII

Poonawalla bought two Rolls Royce Phantom VIII sedans in quick succession. These two new generation Phantom VIIIs are the latest additions to the expansive and expensive Poonawalla garage.

This is the Rolls Royce Phantom Series VIII Extended Wheel Base (EWB). The base price of the vehicle on-road, Mumbai is Rs 13.5 crore. However, this is the price without any customisation option and we all know that Rolls Royce is known for their customised products.

We can safely assume that this is the most expensive car in the Poonawalla garage at this moment. This latest-generation Rolls Royce Phantom utilises the new aluminium spaceframe platform, which Rolls Royce calls ‘Architecture of Luxury’. It is lighter by 30% when compared to the predecessor. It is also one of the largest Rolls Royce ever but is 77mm shorter, 8mm taller and 29 mm wider than the predecessor.

Powering the massive Rolls Royce Series VIII EWB is a 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine that produces a maximum power of 563 Bhp and 900 Nm. The torque peaks at 1,700 rpm and it transfers the power to the wheels through an 8-speed satellite attached transmission system. The vehicle can do 0-100 km/h in just 5.4 seconds.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII gets a larger 24-slat chrome grille, new LED projector headlamps with LED DRLs and LED tail lamps. The design inspiration comes from the yacht and it gets a dual-tone shade that makes it look like a grand vehicle. The Rolls Royce Phantom Series VIII gets 130 kg of sound insulation that makes it one of the most silent vehicles in the world. Further, there are 6mm double-layered sound-proof glazing on each window.

Rolls Royce Phantom VII

Billionaire vaccine makers Cyrus and Adar Poonawalla use two Rolls Royce Phantoms to reach Pune racecourse [Video]

Cyrus Poonawalla came out of the Royce Royce Phantom VII, which was parked ahead of the Phantom VIII. The Poonawallas also own two older-generation Phantom VII sedans that are used by Yohan Poonawalla. Even Natasha Poonawalla, wife of Adar Poonawalla uses the older Phantom quite often.

The Phantom VII comes powered by a massive 6.75-litre naturally-aspirated V12 engine. It produces a maximum power of 460 PS and peak torque of 720 Nm. The car gets an automatic transmission as standard and it can do 0-100 km/h in just 6.1 seconds. The car can do a top speed of 240 km/h, which is electronically limited. We are not sure about the bespoke custom changes inside the vehicle that increases the value of the vehicle but even with standard features, it is difficult to beat a Rolls Royce Phantom!

Shantonil Nag

Shantonil brings a refined blend of expertise and enthusiasm to motoring journalism at Cartoq.com. With a career spanning over 11 years, he anchors Cartoq's insightful car reviews and test drives. His journalistic journey began as a correspondent at Gaadi.com, where he honed his skills in content writing and scripting car reviews. Later, as Senior Editor for Autoportal.com, his expanded role included curating and structuring web content. At Cartoq.com, his expanded role includes assisting the video team to create high-quality car reviews. (Full bio)