Life in the fast lane: Ambia Sohrab’s enviable yet tainted car collection

Despite our invariable love for cars and bikes, we do not encourage irresponsible driving that leads to incidents like the one that claimed the life of an Indian Air Force drill instructor, Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud in Kolkata on Wednesday. In an alleged hit-and-run case, the assailant Ambia Sohrab, son of a former MLA and current Trinamool Congress leader, crashed his brand new Audi through multiple guard rails before claiming the life of the IAF officer during a Republic Day parade rehearsal at Red Road.

Other reports have also emerged, stating that the car could have been driven by Ambia’s brother Sambia Sohrab, lending a new twist to the case. In any case, life in the fast lane is nothing new for the Sohrab brothers, who have been accused of various road rage incidents in the past. And why not, the sons of the high-profile businessman-cum-politician and owners of a chain of hotels have all the toys in their garage to carry them out. Ambia’s Facebook profile gives us an insight into their world of cars as we take a close look at what this fleet comprises of.

Hummer H2

Arguably the biggest and most masculine in Ambia’s garage is the ultimate macho SUV, the all-American Hummer. From pictures it has emerged that it has a Maharashtra registration and thus could be a used unit. A report suggests that the Hummer would have cost him somewhere between Rs 70 lakh and Rs 80 lakh. "Manufacture of the Hummer range stopped in 2010 because the cars consumed way too much gas. Ambia's Hummer is possibly from one of the several used-car dealers in the city," said a Calcutta-based car aficionado to a website.

Porsche Boxster

The white Porsche is another testimony to the glamorous lifestyle of the Sohrabs. The basic model of the Boxster available in the market these days is powered by a 2.7-litre engine that churns out a maximum power of 268.6 PS at 6,700 rpm and peak torque of 280 Nm at 4,500 – 6,500 rpm. The Porsche Boxster will set you back by around Rs 92 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Several pictures of the Porsche, parked along with other white coloured cars can be seen on Ambia’s Facebook page.

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Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder

Ambia's Facebook profile also has pictures of the young man standing next to a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. “Ambia's father has fuelled his penchant for big and speedy cars. His fondness for speed has become his identity. He loves to rev up his Porsche,” said a friend on condition of anonymity to the website. The Porsche Boxster came home for an on-road price of Rs 1.2 crore, according to the friend.

BMW 6-series convertible

If you end up viewing the BMW on Ambia’s Facebook profile, don’t be fooled by the faux M6 badge on the black beauty; the car is actually a BMW 6-series convertible. The cabriole is available in three BMW TwinPower Turbo engines in the form of the Turbo 8-cylinder petrol engine, the Turbo 6-cylinder petrol engine and the Turbo 6-cylinder diesel engine. With a West Bengal registration, the car seems to be a fresh purchase by Sohrab, which could have made a close-to-Rs 1.2 crore (ex-showroom Delhi) dent in his pocket.

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

The Evoque has been an extremely popular product from the manufacturer but to one’s surprise, it might be among the least expensive cars in Sohrab’s fleet at a price of Rs 47.1 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) for the recent facelift. Ambia can be seen posing with his white Evoque in what looks like a basement parking. Another registrant of West Bengal, the car, powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine, is believed to be a first-hand buy from the politician’s son.

Mercedes GL class

A Mercedes-Benz GL class further adds to the list of luxury car brands in the young car enthusiast’s collection. And as is the case with this one too, his fascination for white cars never ceases to end!

Audi Q7

The Audi Q7 that killed air force corporal Abhimanyu Gaud, 21, is registered in the name of Mussadi Business Pvt. Ltd, of which Ambia is a director. The car’s current on-road price in Delhi around is Rs 90 lakh.

Others

The car enthusiast in Ambia has also taken him beyond Indian borders. He can be seen posing with Ferraris and Bugattis in the middle-east while a Ducati Monster 796 motorbike also appears in one of the pictures.

Photo courtesy: Facebook