The first Bentley Mulsanne EWB in Karnataka was delivered to it’s owner recently. VS Reddy is the founder and MD of British Biologicals and an ardent admirer of cars. We had a conversation with him regarding what made him buy one of the most luxurious limousines in the world.
Vishal Joshi: You are known to be a supercar collector, this is your first luxury car, of course apart from the Maybach, so why this Bentley and how does it compare to the Maybach?
VS Reddy: This is my childhood dream to collect all the brands in the country. Second point, We cannot compare Maybach to Bentley because Bentley is a totally handcrafted car which has taken nine months whereas Maybach is a mass production car. In terms of comparison you have to compare elephant to elephant not elephant to other things. Bentley is just like a Taj Mahal in cars, that is the reason I preferred the ultimate in British cars.
VJ: Have you tried the Rolls Royce? Why not the Rolls Royce or the Bentayga?
VSR: I’ve not tried Rolls Royce because they are for different kinds of people, I feel it is for politicians and other people, not to industrialists like me. It is purely a personal opinion, but still Rolls Royce is controlled by BMW whereas Bentley is controlled by the founding fathers. As far as Bentayga is concerned, that is an SUV of which I already have a BMW X7, Audi Q7 and an Evoque.
VJ: In this car, do you like to drive or to be driven?
VSR: For the last 10 years I’ve been getting driven and also for this car I want myself to be driven. That’s why I sent my driver to Delhi where he has been trained by Bentley team and now he is happy driving the Mulsanne.
VJ: Can you tell us the experience of driving or to be driven around in the Mulsanne? How is the experience of wafting along in that surge of torque?
VSR: One of the major advantages is the torque and the power and the feeling when you sit inside that you are going in a big car and you’re facing the crowd. That gives you a lot of satisfaction and self solace that you have achieved something.
VJ: How have you customised the Mulsanne? Have you customised it per your personality?
VSR: The total Mulsanne has been customised as per my requirements, making it as a mini office inside including the fridge, working tables, filing things and if I want to sleep it is like a first class seat in an aircraft, there are a lot of things that we have customised. We are sure that with my customisation it looks totally different from the crowd.
VJ: How much customisation is possible for such a car? Would you like to do something more to it?
VSR: There is no end to the customisation of a car, it only depends on the individual tastes. As far as I’m concerned I have customised it to my needs and my satisfaction. Maybe if somebody can do more, I have no idea but as far as my customisation is concerned I’m happy with whatever customisation I have done for this car.