The Indian Who Owned 93 Rolls Royce Super Luxury Cars

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, also known as Osho, is one of the most known Indian gurus. Unlike many gurus who preferred simple lives and a complete detachment from materialistic pleasures, he embraced wealth with open arms. Osho is in fact, well-known for his penchant for Rolls-Royce cars. He once owned not one, but 93 of them!

It was in the early 1980s that Osho touched down at the John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in USA. Together with his followers- the sanyassins- he started building a city in Oregon, called Rajneeshpuram. He bought his first Rolls Royce soon after touching down in the USA. Reports say it to be a Corniche. Rolls Royce made this sporty two-door from 1971 till 1995. It was in fact, the British brand's most expensive flagship back then.

Soon after entering the US, he lived in a castle-like house in New Jersey, where the car was also stationed. His pompous arrival into the United States made headlines. A report in The New York Times opened by saying “A guru from India wheels into town in a Rolls-Royce, buys the biggest house in the community…” Osho loved the car so much and once commented 'a trip in a Rolls is a ride in a tranquility that compares with the peace by Buddha.'

Image source: Samvado Gunnar Kossatz

Reports say that the guru's Corniche had several customisations gone into it. It was stretched into a limousine and was also fitted with bulletproof panels, tear gas canisters, hidden gun compartments, jewels, a TV, VCR, and a telephone. Osho loved driving it around and reportedly racked up speed tickets!

The guru had some serious back pain. He couldn't be comfortable on all seats. Plus, the Corniche had unforgiving seats. This probably made him think of his second Rolls Royce purchase. Surprisingly, he found the Rolls Royce Silver Spur's seats to be comfortable, and without a second thought, added it to his garage. “The driver’s seat in that car fits perfectly, gives me no trouble.” He once said about the Silver Spur. It turns out this car was one of his all-time favourites.

Image source: Samvado Gunnar Kossatz

The guru's Rolls Royce collection exploded after 'Rajneeshpuram' was completed. Together with his followers, Rajneesh settled down there. His teachings attracted many wealthy supporters and devotees. These people would, in the time that followed, offer him brand-new Rolls Royce cars in donations and gifts!

From European royalty to heirs to big American Fortunes like Learjet and Baskin Robbins, there were many of them. The crowd also had people with deep Hollywood connections. His collection expanded rapidly and Rolls Royce engineers used to visit Rajneeshpuram to maintain the fleet.

This Indian spiritual leader allegedly owned long rows of Silver Spirits! Some of these had wild custom paint jobs and crazy accessories and could be seen parked on the streets of Rajneeshpuram back in the day. Osho used to drive one of these through the commune on a daily basis. He would wave to the followers around as he passed by and would be greeted back by them tossing flowers.

The Osho empire started to decline in 1985 when serious allegations were made against him. These included possible involvement in bio-terror plots, election rigging and planned assassinations. The US government deported Osho to India. He eventually settled down in Pune, Maharashtra.

Osho and his community had accumulated huge wealth by then. Their possessions in the US ranged from luxury goodies to Rolls Royce cars and private jets. Soon, these were all liquidated and the empire dismantled. However, some say that Osho bought back eight of his Rolls Royce cars, as he badly wanted to keep them.

So, what happened to the remaining 85 Rolls Royces? Well, a Texan man named Bob Roethlisberger bought them for 7 million USD and spent another $200,000 to get them moved to Texas. He then sold 43 of them individually and auctioned off the rest.

From what we know, many of these cars are now with owners who are staunch followers of Osho. Even after his death, Osho's Rolls Royces continue to spark debate and discussions worldwide.