India's 'Spice King' Buys Mercedes E-Class On Wednesday, Series II Rolls Royce Cullinan On Saturday
The billionaire businessman from Kerala, Dr. Viju Jacob, is known for his taste in cars. Over the years, we have seen him own a slew of luxury and performance cars- from Porsches to a brand new Ferrari, the Executive Chairman of Synthite Industries has owned a long lineup of multi-crore cars. Recently, he went car-shopping again and what happened next has left us stunned! He bought a Mercedes E-Class on Wednesday and a brand-new Rolls Royce Cullinan Series II on Saturday!
Viju Jacob Buys New Mercedes Benz E Class
Coastal Star, Mercedes Benz's dealer partner in Kochi, Kerala, shared a video of the billionaire taking delivery of his new E-Class, on Instagram. Going by the date of posting, we believe it to have happened on Wednesday. It shows Dr. Viju Jacob entering the dealership with his family. Later, we get to see him take delivery of his newest Mercedes sedan. As a successful businessman and industrialist, he is also seen interacting with the dealer staff as well.
Synthite Industries has been extremely successful in the value added spices industry. They are claimed to be the world's largest producer of them. His monumental business success has earned Viju Jacob the name 'The Spice King'.
He has bought his Mercedes Benz E-Class LWB in a classy Obsidian Black colour. The car gets Avantgarde exterior and interior packages. Mercedes benz sells three variants of the new-generation E Class in India- the E200 (petrol), E 220d (diesel) and the E450 4MATIC AMG LINE. The ex-showroom prices of these (before add-ons) are 78.5 lakh, 81.5 lakh and 92.5 lakh respectively.
The 'Spice King' has opted for the E 220d variant. It is powered by a 2.0L turbocharged, four-cylinder diesel engine. The powertrain has a combined output (as it gets the EQ Boost hybrid tech) of 220 hp ( 197 hp from the engine and 23hp from its electric companion) and 440 Nm.
The transmission on offer is a 9-speed automatic unit and this is a Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) sedan. It does the 0-100 kph sprint in just 7.6 seconds and has a top speed of 238 kph.
The 'Spice King' Buys Kerala's First Rolls Royce Cullinan Series II
The second and the more striking purchase came a couple of days later. On Saturday, he took delivery of Kerala's first Rolls Royce Cullinan Series II. With a ex-showroom base price of 10.5 Crore rupees, the Cullinan Series II is quite an expensive buy. Packed with luxury to the brim, it is a favourite pick of many multi-billionaires. In India, Mukesh Ambani owns the largest collection of Cullinans.
Circling back, Dr. Viju Jacob has bought his Series II Cullinan in an elegant shade of White. The cabin gets a light and pleasant colourway as well. You will see patches of bright Orange set against an Ivory backdrop, on the inside. There are also touches of Beige.
The Series II is the Cullinan's facelift that was launched in India in September last year. It gets revised styling on the exterior and inside. The Series II gets a tweaked grille, slimmer headlamps with L-shaped LED DRLs that extend downwards, sportier bumpers, rear skid plates, and new wheels.
Inside, there is a full-width glass panel that runs along the width of the dashboard. Features like a new display cabinet, the latest version of the Spirit Infotainment system etc are present on the Series II.
Like its predecessor, the Cullinan Series II is also powered by a 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine. The facelifted SUV, however, has this in a higher state of tune. It is capable of producing 571hp and 850Nm. The transmission is an 8-speed automatic units and there is All Wheel Drive (AWD) offered as well.