Guilty Pleasures

From owning classic timepieces and attractive footwear to buying an island and a chateau on the coast, luxuryaspirations of corporate honchos and film stars are also about experiencing life

- Ruchika Shah

/ Roland Folger Managing director and CEO, MercedesBenz India

I have an extreme fondness for products tailored to suit my personality and those that can offer me a distinct look. I relish buying handmade shoes, tailored suits and customized watches. IWC is one of my favourites when it comes to design, but there are many other lesser known Swiss watch brands that intrigue me.

The ultimate luxury that I wish to own is the 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gull wing. It was the world’s first super car, an unparalleled combination of form and function that stuns the world to this day. A car like that graces the best automotive collections in the world. If I am not mistaken, there are only a handful of models in the world and despite the progressive evolution of Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG (including the recently launched Hyper car–Project One), the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gull wing still tops my list of aspirational things to own. I believe it is a legend in its own right. After all, it has a cockpit, two doors and two wings!

/ Bojan Jankulovski Head of operations, Maserati India