Yohan Poonawalla’s Salon Privé 2021 moment
The Hindu
The industrialist bagged multiple awards at the recent Concours d’Elegance, with the 1949 Bentley MK VI or the ‘Rhubarb and Custard Car’ being the crowd favourite
The first week of the month saw a well-attended lobster luncheon, Pommery champagne and tyre-screeching action at UK’s historic Blenheim Palace. Also known as the ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill, this country house was the venue for the Salon Privé Concours d’Elegance, one of the world’s leading automotive events. It was also where industrialist Yohan Poonawalla’s trio of cars took home prestigious prizes — from the 1949 Bentley MK VI to the 1927 Rolls-Royce 20HP Tourer by Barker and the 1979 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI Limousine by Mulliner Park Ward. Talking about the 1949 Bentley MK VI, which belonged to Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, the Maharaja of Mysore, and went on to win the Duke of Marlborough Award at Salon Privé, Poonawalla says, “When I bought her 15 years ago, I didn’t know she was the Maharaja of Mysore’s car. She was one of my first Bentleys.” It was only when his team returned with the car and its original build sheet to Pune that he realised its provenance. “She was in another blue and silver colour scheme. Her original colour (bright red and yellow) was prepared for the 21 Gun Salute Concours last year in New Delhi.” The Bentley was restored by Allan Almeida in Viveck Goenka’s restoration workshop in Mumbai and soon got itself the ‘Rhubarb and Custard car’ nickname.