Nubar Gulbenkiam and his cars

Posted on July 20th, 2012 by Wiggia

Nubar Gulbenkiam was an Armenian born in Turkey but bought to England by his father to be educated at Harrow and Cambridge and later Germany.

His father was an oil millionaire known for his miserly ways and Nubar initially worked for him unpaid but a row ensued when he claimed $4.50 for a lunch and went on to sue his father for $2.5 million and subsequently made millions in oil dealings in his own right, his father never forgave him and left his fortune to a foundation in his name in Portugal.

Nubar was as much a spendthrift as was his father a miser and enjoyed the life of a playboy and all the other good things in life including some unusual motor cars specially re bodied for him the London taxi was a familiar sight about London and I saw the man himself alighting from it to go into a specialist tobacconist in the Edgware Road in London in the sixties.

In his autobiography there are many quotes and phrases he became famous for including when asked what was the best number of people to have at a dinner party, he replied “two, myself and a very good head waiter” he also filled in a survey form that required him to fill in his position, he put in “enviable”.

Filed under: History & Culture, Technology & ideas, Wiggia

2 Responses to “Nubar Gulbenkiam and his cars”

  1. dearieme, on July 20th, 2012 at 15:59 Said:

    That RR convertible is pretty covetable.


  2. Duncan B (UK), on July 20th, 2012 at 16:31 Said:

    Allegedly, when asked why he chose to ride around in his own Black Cab, he replied ‘Apparently it turns on a sixpence…whatever that is’.


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