He was the National Champion in the Himalayan Rally ’85, and the first Indian to finish fourth overall. He was the only representative from India in the Federation International De Vehicules Anciens (FIVA) Rally in 1996, and has served as the President of the Heritage Motoring Club of India and Chairman of the Delhi Automotive Racing Association (DARA). He is currently the Regional Director of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and Chairman of PCRT.
Tutu Dhawan has been consumed by the passion for automobiles since the age of 12, eventually making it his profession. A senior steward of most motor sports events in Northern India, Tutu not only understands the automobiles as in the present day ‘modern’ cars, but also excels in restoration of old vintage & classic beauties. Mr. Dhawan calls his innovative restoration work ‘a whole new discipline.’ Today, automobiles rebuilt from scratch by his own hands are running around all over the country. His passion for this work can be gauged from his own words, “When I work on these cars and make them run again, I feel like a father who is seeing his children walk on their own two feet – in this case four but nonetheless, the pleasure derived is immense and cannot be quantified. This is my level of involvement with automobiles.”
The epitome of his experience is to find answers rather than solutions for car problems. An example of this is his indigenous fuel injection cleaning mechanism, which he had built in the early 80’s, a long time before such machines were even visualized in this part of the world. Over the years, Mr. Dhawan has not only repaired, serviced and restored all types of cars, his own fleet of exotic cars, from Jaguars to Mercedes-Benzs to BMWs, has grown into an enviable collection.
Tutu Dhawan is the undisputed authority on automobiles in India. He contributes as an advisor and writer for some of the top magazines, newspapers and TV channel shows, e.g. The Hindu, The Times of India, India Today Plus, Outlook, Business Today, Overdrive and some life style magazines, Road Show (Star TV), NDTV, Chalti Ka Naam Gadi (CNBC) and Chakke pe Chakka (Aaj Tak).