Pictures of a Gold Chrome Rolls-Royce Phantom car, complete with a yellow number plate – which indicates a taxi in India – have been bedazzling social media sites in the country.
The Phantom is Rolls-Royce’s most expensive luxury car, the starting price of which is over $450,000.
A ₹9.5 Cr Gold Rolls Royce Phantom Is Being Used As A ‘Taxi’ In Kerala INDIA@ProducerMichael@AdamSwords https://t.co/jsmXB6Xevy pic.twitter.com/xyUYjo97BM
— ADITYA SANDESARA (@ADITYA_CFGP) March 5, 2020
According to media reports, a millionaire named Bobby Chemmanur from Kerala purchased the car as an added offering for tourists who visit the Indian state and stay at his resorts.
India's First Gold Chrome Wrap #RollsRoyce Phantom Taxi, From #Thrissur, #Kerala. 🚕♥️
— Hello! Thrissur (@hello_thrissur) March 3, 2020
🎥: https://t.co/YxyNNoCzTN pic.twitter.com/GItq4awMu6
Chemmanur’s thought behind being so lavish with the value addition to his hospitality offerings is for people, who otherwise cannot purchase the car, to experience the luxury of Rolls-Royce in their lifetime, the media has reported. One car ride costs approximately $340.
Netizens are in awe of the dreamy vehicle and are posting delighted comments on social media.
Welcome to Kerala, India
— Tom (@caesarNme) March 2, 2020
where you see sights like a Gold #RollsRoyce #Taxi pic.twitter.com/Nkfl1Nd6Td
Felt excited after seeing "Rolls-Royce-Phantom-Concours" with my naked eye in thekkadi road #kerala..
— AnonImouS (@riyazaham) November 29, 2012
This is real 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/Qu6EvNjyIU
— Sirish Chandran (@SirishChandran) March 3, 2020
Kerala businessman to use a gold Rolls-Royce Phantom for taxi service.. This is insane #Kerala #rollsroyce #phantom #India pic.twitter.com/NqkDbNphxQ
— Sanin Salewala (@saninsalewala) March 3, 2020
Some people also criticised Rolls-Royce for allowing their most premium car to be used as a taxi.
Really feel sorry for @RollsRoyceAsia @RollsRoyce brand. It has taken a beating after it produced a gold color car that too with a taxi plate. Really dont know the compulsion that they had to sell a car to be used as taxi.
— Anindya Roychoudhury (@AnindyaRC_6775) March 3, 2020
However, this is not the first time that someone from India has used the status symbol of Rolls-Royce cars in a way that they were not intended for.
Legend has it that in 1920, Jai Singh Prabhakar – the Maharaja of Alwar from India’s Rajasthan state – visited London and decided to walk around the city disguised as a common man.
Realising that Prabhakar was Indian, the staff at the Rolls-Royce showroom directed him to get out.
Outraged over such bad treatment for being Indian, the king re-visited the showroom in his royal clothes, escorted by a trail of servants. He purchased a fleet of Rolls Royce cars that were on display in the showroom that day and returned to India. But he instructed the civic authorities in New Delhi to use the Rolls-Royce cars to collect garbage from around the city. It went on for a month before Rolls-Royce realised its bad conduct and apologised to him.
That's not true. Rolls-Royce is associated with India for a 100 years.
— Robinhood Pandey (@roflbaba) February 16, 2020
Maharaja of Alwar Sir Jai Singh Prabhakar had officially deployed 6 Rolls-Royce cars with Municipality for garbage collection in 1920. https://t.co/m4ToxFoeHC
