A Closer Look At Sudhir Choudhrie’s Vintage German Car Collection

4 min readOct 2, 2020

Sudhir Choudhrie is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and billionaire. He was born in 1949 and raised in India by his mother, whom he considers one of his greatest role models. Choudhrie earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Delhi and started his career in his grandfather’s real estate business based in Delhi. He soon launched his own business reselling television equipment to the Indian government during the 1960s and 1970s, which was rapidly expanding its television networks at that time. Choudhrie founded the Magnum International Trading Company in 1975, which allowed him to export Indian goods such as farm equipment to other countries.

He has led many business ventures since then and this success has allowed Choudhrie to explore his personal passions like rare vintage cars. His collection is one of the largest in India, with vehicles from many countries. However, German models account for a major portion of Choudhrie’s collection, especially Mercedes Benz.

German Automotive History

Germany has a long history in automobile manufacturing and is currently the largest manufacturer in Europe, producing over six million vehicles each year. The German automobile industry is also one of the world’s largest employers and most competitive automotive markets. Sudhir Choudhrie’s car collection features some of the most well-known German vehicles, mostly from the 1920s and 1930s.

Choudhrie’s collection includes several models of the Mercedes Benz 170V Sedan W 136 series made from 1937 to 1942. It was designed by Hans Nibel and had many innovative features for its time, including an early independent suspension. This series also had an inline 4-cylinder side-valve engine with a 4-speed transmission, which was very powerful at the time. Another example of the Mercedes Benz 170V W136 series in Choudhrie’s collection is the 2-door Cabriolet made in 1937, which is one of his favorites. This model has the same type of engine and suspension as the Sedan W models.

The Mercedes Benz 320 Cabriolet D in Choudhrie’s collection is the first one he acquired, so it has a special place in his heart. This 4-door Cabriolet has four side windows and a profile that’s instantly recognizable. It was in production from 1937 to 1942, before being phased out by vehicles using technology developed during World War II.

Choudhrie’s 1937 Adler Trumpf Junior was a small family car with front-wheel drive and four-speed transmission. It had a lower height than other models in this class, although the passenger compartment was comparatively roomy. This model is particularly rare today due to its short production run, which ended in 1941.

The DKW F7 Deluxe convertible was a replacement for the DKW F5 and also sits in Choudhrie’s collection. It’s a 4-seater with an inline 2-cylinder 690cc engine, capable of going 53 mph. The DKW F7 was available with many options, which was unusual for its time. The 1938 model in Choudhrie’s collection has front-wheel drive.

Philosophy

Choudhrie’s approach to his collection is based on his love of restoring vehicles in poor condition. This is a time-consuming process since original parts are generally available only from other vintage cars. A restoration project typically requires four to five years to complete, but some of them have taken over ten years. The collection isn’t currently available for viewing by the public, but Choudhrie plans to do so once he has fully restored all of his cars. This venue will include museums for his cars and collection of Indian art, in addition to a hotel and convention center.

About Sudhir Choudhrie

Sudhir Choudhrie is best known as an entrepreneur who has won many awards for his business endeavors. More recently, he has turned his attention towards philanthropic efforts and personal interests such as collecting cars and art. Most of the cars in Choudhrie’s collection were made before 1940, and he is particularly fond of German cars designed by Hans Nobel during the 1930s.