Barber-Turned-Millionaire Buys Rs 3 Crore Range Rover To Use As Luxury Taxi In Bengaluru
The barber-turned-taxi fleet operator Ramesh Babu from Bengaluru, Karnataka, has once again made headlines with his latest acquisition. Ramesh Tours and Travels has now added a brand-new Range Rover LWB worth Rs 3.2 crore to its fleet of rental luxury cars. This latest addition joins the fleet of Ramesh Tours and Travels, which comprises a Rolls-Royce Ghost, Mercedes-Maybach, Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, Land Rover Defender 130, BMW i7, and many others.
Images of the delivery of the new Range Rover have been shared on Instagram by Ramesh Tours and Travels on their official page. The owner of the tours and rental company, Ramesh Babu, can be seen taking delivery of his brand-new Range Rover at the dealership with his family members and close relatives.
This particular Range Rover is the HSE Long Wheelbase variant of the SUV, which costs Rs 3.2 crore. It is finished in the classy shade of Fuji White and has been optioned with a light tan leather interior featuring classy-looking wood and brushed aluminum elements. As mentioned, it is the long-wheelbase variant, which offers much more space to the rear seat occupants.
Powering the Range Rover HSE LWB is a 3.0-litre D350 Ingenium diesel engine. It is capable of producing 346 bhp and 700 Nm of torque. It comes mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox, and power is sent to all four wheels. Despite its weight, the Range Rover can still accelerate from 0–100 kmph in just 6.4 seconds.
For those who may not be aware of Ramesh Babu and his inspiring story, he was born in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and his father was a barber. Unfortunately, when Babu was 7 years old, his father passed away. As a result, his mother had to work as a maid to support their household. Growing up, Babu took up a lot of odd jobs while continuing his schooling.
He then finished his schooling, and instead of going for higher education, he took over his father’s barber shop, which they had rented out to someone. Babu then refined his hairdressing skills and started earning well, after which he saved enough to buy a Maruti Suzuki Omni van, which mostly sat at his home.
The barber Babu was then suggested that he could start renting out his van to earn extra income when it was not being used by him. As a result, he started earning a lot of money from the rental car business and slowly expanded it with multiple cars. Later, in 2004, his breakthrough came with the purchase of a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which helped Ramesh Tours and Travels become a premium car rental company.
Following that, he started buying even more luxurious cars. His biggest purchase, which made a lot of headlines, was his Rolls-Royce Ghost Series I, which he bought in 2011. It was one of the first Rolls-Royces in the country that could be rented. From there, he went on to buy more luxury cars, including a Mercedes-Maybach S600 and multiple Mercedes-Benz S-Class and E-Class models.
Most recently, he bought a Mercedes-Benz G400d luxury SUV, which became the first commercial G-Wagen in India. His recent purchases also include a Land Rover Defender 130. Other premium vehicles in his fleet include a Toyota Vellfire, two Toyota GranAce, Toyota Land Cruiser LC200, BMW 7-Series, BMW i7, and many others.