Pivoting from the racetrack to the command centre of motor sport with Gautam Singhania
Standing amid a riot of colours, symbols of decadence, works of art – all of them powerful, glamorous and million-dollar cars – Gautam Singhania seems a bit tired. It’s not surprising; putting together The Super Car Show with vintage and classic vehicles, bikes and buggies, new and old, shiny and shaky, is hard work. Even if the chairman and managing director of Raymond Ltd has been doing this for a decade, the sheer volume of logistics appears exhausting.
At the MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai’s BandraKurla Complex, where The Super Car Show was held in early February, a fiercely air-conditioned tent in the middle of the field stands out as a place of refuge from the sharp afternoon sun. Surrounded by cars, both inside and outside the tent, this is where Singhania hangs out with Graham Stoker, Deputy President for Sport of the Fédération Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA).
Around us are an orange Chevrolet, a red Lamborghini, a yellow McLaren Senna and a red Porsche, besides some vintage beauties. A TV screen silently plays videos related to Singhania’s racing achievements. The man himself is in a red Raymond T-shirt, yellow Saber shoes and jeans, shuttling between conversations and coordination in a cordoned-off section, even as sundry visitors’ cell phone cameras flash around the pit.
The 53-year-old textile baron, car collector, racer, adrenalin junkie and adventure seeker has moved on to a different chapter of his life – switching from high-speed racing to motor sport administration, focusing on his responsibilities as a member of the World Motor Sport Council, which is a part of the FIA. There’s a time and a place for everything and that, vis-à-vis racing, he says, has passed.
Esta historia es de la edición May 2019 de GQ India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición May 2019 de GQ India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
The 30 Best Watches Of 2024
Rounding up the best shapes, materials, complications and sizes from this year's horological novelty treasure chest.
Wes Lang's Heroes of Love...
Last month, LA-based artist Wes Lang unveiled The Black Paintings, a monumental series of works that play like storyboards to a raucous midnight horror movieand a spiritual quest. Here, GQ collaborates with the artist on a fashion story that brings his stylish characters off the canvas.
The Miraculous Resurrection of Notre Dame
In 2019, a fire nearly destroyed the crown jewel of France-and the nation set a breakneck five-year deadline to bring it back from the ashes. This is the story of how an army of artisans turned back centuries to restore Notre-Dame by hand, and wound up reviving something even greater than the cathedral itself.
"IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING PERFECT. IT'S ABOUT BEING REVOLUTIONARY."
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter talks business, legacy, art, and family
The Wedding Singers
Madboy Mink's dynamic duo, Saba Azad and Imaad Shah, redefine festive style.
A Watch Is More Than Just a Pretty Face
As collectors look to make their grail watches stand out, they're turning to unique vintage bracelets and paying thousands on thousands for straps on the secondary market.
The Fluidity of Cartier
Why Gen Z stars are obsessed with this historic maison.
A Princess with Passion
From restoring monuments to reviving hereditary crafts, Bhavnagar's Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil has her sights on the future.
THE FUTURE SOUNDS LIKE AT EEZ
The Coachella-slaying, multi-language-singing, genre-obliterating members of Ateez are quickly becoming load-bearing stars of our global pop universe.
DEMNA UNMASKED
He's the most influential designer of the past decade. He's also the most controversial. Now the creative director of Balenciaga is exploring a surprising source of inspiration: happiness. GQ's Samuel Hine witnesses the dawn of Demna's new era, in Paris, New York, and Shanghai. Photographs by Jason Nocito.