In the world of vintage and luxury automobiles, no name commands quite the reverence as Rolls-Royce. And in the eastern region of India, no name echoes that reverence louder than Shrivardhan Kanoria. He is the founding president of EIMG (Eastern India Motoring Group), a thriving vintage motoring group of eastern India. A restorer by profession and a collector by passion, Kanoria's life is built around the Rolls-Royce brand. For him, these cars aren't objects; they are a legacy, an emotion, and family. With a garage of models that would make the Goodwood archives proud, and a restoration ethic that borders on devotion, amongst Indian collectors, Kanoria is often referred to as the Rolls-Royce King — a title he neither flaunts nor denies.
A family legacy built on Silver Ghost and Phantom dreams
A 1934 ParkWard Limousine restored for a collector
Kanoria's love for the Spirit of Ecstasy is deeply personal, intergenerational, and almost spiritual. His maternal grandfather, late Harish Chandra Agarwal, began collecting vintage cars in the 1950s — a time when maharajas were offloading their automotive treasures as scrap. Agarwal, who also edited and owned the Vishwamitra daily newspaper, bought a number of these forgotten vehicles, focussing more on reviving them to a drivable condition than restoring them to concours standards.
It was Shrivardhan Kanoria’s father, the late Shashi Kumar Kanoria, lovingly called Shashi Babu, who brought precision to the family’s vintage pursuit. A perfectionist and an early pioneer of Kolkata’s vintage car scene, he restored his Rolls-Royces with the care of an artist. Shrivardhan inherited both the passion and the discipline, and after his father’s death in 2010, he took on the responsibility of keeping the family’s legacy alive, and thriving.
Restoration: The Rolls-Royce way
Kanoria’s 1926 Silver Ghost Tilbury
In a world where restoration is often reduced to superficial paint jobs and imported parts, Kanoria’s approach is of a purist. “Putting together parts from all over the world is assembly, not restoration,” he says. He believes a restored Rolls-Royce should look, feel, and perform as it did when it rolled off the factory floor — nothing more, nothing less.
He follows the Standard Operating Procedure passed down by his father and has personally restored close to 12 Rolls-Royces in the last 15 years — including Silver Ghosts, Phantoms & and more. His crowning glory? A 1926 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost that won a special Maharaja award at the 21 Gun Salute Concours d'Elegance and later featured on the cover of RREC’s Spirit and Speed magazine in April 2025 — a first for an Indian-owned Rolls.
A restoration philosophy like no other
A 1930 Rolls Royce 20/25 Coachcraft Sports Saloon that Kanoria restored for a collector
Kanoria doesn’t take restoration projects lightly. He only restores for those he knows personally, likening his clients to family, in addition to his own collection. For him, each restoration is a “labour of love,” right from fabrication to finish. “I don't follow trends, I restore the car as it was meant to be,” he said.
His belief extends to aesthetics too. He frowns upon glossy modern paint jobs and favours period-correct finishes — and restrained tones like British Racing Green, royal ivory, royal maroon, etc. When it comes to interiors and customisation, he considers the original build sheet, but allows for personal expression if it aligns with period accuracy.
The most satisfying resurrection
The 1930 Phantom I Huntington Limousine
Among the many Rolls-Royces he has restored, one stands out: a 1930 Phantom I Huntington Limousine by Brewster, originally owned by Mrs. Andrew Carnegie. The left-hand-drive American Rolls, a rarity in itself, arrived in pieces — bags, boxes, and sacks. Over two years, Kanoria painstakingly restored it, honouring its storied past and transforming it into a showstopper that won ‘Best in Class’ at the 2024 Oberoi Concours.
Spirit of Ecstasy: More than a mascot
A 1929 Phantom 1 Hooper Limousine restored for a collector
For Kanoria, the Spirit of Ecstasy is more than a hood ornament. As a child, he would sleep with miniature mascots beside his pillow. Today, several original ones sit proudly in his home. He is well-versed in its various iterations — standing, kneeling, flying — and can instantly distinguish originals from replicas by eye.
Inspiration and the road ahead
‘I’m satisfied,’ Kanoria says. ‘I want to restore what I have and ensure they live on long after me,’
Though the love for Rolls-Royce came from his father, Kanoria draws inspiration from a few collectors of the past such as Ghulam Momen, Partha Sadhan Bose, Sanjay Ghosh, and current collectors like Nitin Dossa, Viveck Goenka, Diljit Titus, Yohan Poonawala, Madan Mohan, HH Manvinder Singh Barwani, Dr Ravi Prakash, Gautam Singhania and Ranjit Pratap, MS Guhan and Julia Patnaik to name a few.
As for the future, Kanoria has no plans to add to his already comprehensive pre-War Rolls-Royce collection. “I’m satisfied,” he says. “I want to restore what I have and ensure they live on long after me.” Thinking ahead about the future, he only wishes that his cars are well taken care of and loved just the way he does, ensuring their secured preservation.
He may not call himself the Rolls-Royce King, but for anyone who’s felt his passion, his craftsmanship, or his eyes light up at the sight of a Rolls, there’s no question — the crown fits.