Yohan Poonawalla is a man with a passion: an almost single-minded dedication for beauties of the four-wheeled kind. We take a look at the pick of his collection
Story: Aninda Sardar
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
The strain runs in the family for sure, but for Yohan Poonawalla, his passion for cars is an all-consuming affair. He lives it, breathes it and even in his daily life is surrounded by the objects of his passion. While a majority of us will either be familiar with the surname, courtesy the Poonawalla Stud Farms or the Serum Institute of India, which the family owns, it is Yohan’s cars that make him a subject of high interest to us and our readers. His collection now ranges from a humble 1931 Chevrolet to the flashy Lamborghini Gallardo, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and more.
It all started when Yohan was a little boy who had access to the 1931 Chevy, at that time in a state of relative disrepair. Asked which was the first car that he remembers making an impression on him, his answer comes in a flash. “The love of cars runs in the family, courtesy my father and my uncle, but the first car I remember is the old Chevy. It was quite dilapidated at the time and used to sit at the stud farm. I used to sit in it and play,” he reminisces.
Much water has passed under the bridges since those early days of childhood romance and the relationship has now developed into a full-blown love affair. One glimpse at his garages (yes, there are more than a few) at his sprawling residence in Koregaon Park, Pune, lays asunder any doubts, however miniscule, you might have about his passion. This is a man who loves his cars and doesn’t baulk at acquiring more of these four-wheeled beauties he is so in love with.
