Billionaire Yohan Poonawalla's Ships Rolls-Royce To Dubai 'For Servicing' [Video]
Indian billionaire Yohan Poonawalla is an avid car enthusiast and collector. He owns several ultra-luxury models from Rolls-Royce and Bentley. We have talked about many of these in our previous stories. One of his cars- a Rolls-Royce Phantom VII with Indian number plates was recently seen in an Instagram video. This video is from Dubai, and left many wondering how an ‘Indian Rolls Royce’ ended up in Dubai. This article will explain the same...
The Video
The host starts by giving a brief introduction to the car. He says that the Phantom seen here is India’s first Phantom VII with Mansory kit. The clip itself was filmed from the Mansory factory in Dubai. The video then shows the car in detail. We can see several of its exterior design highlights. We even get a quick look at the interior and its details.
What’s Special About This Car?
The vehicle in this case is the Rolls-Royce Phantom VII Mansory. For the uninformed, Mansory is a famous German luxury car modification company that works on high-end vehicles from Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, and even Ferraris. Their work isn’t limited to just cosmetic enhancements. Many Mansory builds feature heavily reworked powertrains, exhaust systems and notable boosts in performance.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom VII, in this case, has a higher-capacity engine than the standard model. Under its hood is a 7.5-litre petrol engine that makes 551 hp and 810 Nm. The standard Phantom VII used to come with a BMW-sourced 6.75-liter, twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine (BMW N74). It had 563hp and 900Nm on offer. Interestingly, Rolls-Royce has always had 6.75 litres as the preferred displacement for all its engines!
This car also has a custom exhaust system developed by Mansory for use with this engine. It is claimed to improve the performance further. Since it has a different engine and exhaust system, this Phantom VII Mansory needs to be taken to the Mansory factory or its authorised service partners for repairs or periodic services. It is better to rely on the carmaker for minor works like oil changes alone.
Mansory is headquartered in Bavaria. It, however, has official dealers and service centres in North America, the Middle East (Dubai), Europe, and Asia. The Dubai facility is known for its large workshop/service area. For an Indian buyer, it is still the nearest touchpoint.
In addition to the more powerful powertrain, the Phantom VII Mansory also has several signature styling elements and trims on the outside and inside the cabin. ‘Poonawalla’ lettering can be found on the sill plate and on the dashboard applique. The cabin of this car feels much more premium than what’s found on the standard Phantom VII.
So, Why Is This Indian Rolls-Royce In Dubai?
1000 Miglia Experience UAE 2025, the UAE edition of the Mille Miglia, the famous Italian road race/rally for classic cars, is set to commence from November 30th to December 4th. In its fourth edition, the 1000 Miglia Experience UAE will see participation from over a hundred distinguished participants from around the globe.
The rally this year, will traverse across the UAE: Dubai-Jebel Jais-Fujairah-Abu Dhabi. Yohan Poonawalla will participate in the 2025 edition as well. The Phantom VII Mansory is getting prepped for the event, likely getting its periodic maintenance works done ahead of the enduring drive across UAE.
Yohan At 2024 1000 Miglia UAE
Last year, Mille Miglia UAE recognised Yohan with the prestigious “Hero of the Rally” award. Representing India, he raced his iconic 1974 Jaguar E-Type V12 in the 2024 edition. His 1964 Lincoln ‘Popemobile’ also took part in the rally last year, piloted by Formula-1 driver Narain Karthikeyan.