Varun Jain, founder of Smoke Lab and lifelong motorsport enthusiast, has turned the basement of his Safdarjung Enclave home into an evolving sanctuary for rare Ferraris and iconic machines. His garage showcases limited-edition V8 and V12 supercars, led by the ultra-rare 812 Competizione, and reflects a deeply personal journey from childhood memories to an ever-expanding collector’s vision.
Varun Jain, founder of Smoke Lab and an avid motorsport enthusiast, has transformed the basement of his Safdarjung Enclave residence into a meticulously designed garage that reflects his passion for performance engineering. Home to a carefully curated collection of limited-edition supercars and iconic automobiles, the space is dedicated to celebrating the character of naturally aspirated V8 and V12 engines, serving as a testament to his lifelong love of motoring.
Today, Varun has around nine or ten cars in his garage. He traces the feeling back to childhood, sitting on his father's lap behind the wheel, the engine noise, the thrill of it all. He was barely a year and a half old. Every father, he says, wants his son on his lap while driving at some point. It's illegal, of course, but back in the day, everybody did it. For Varun, it's simply in his blood.
His first car was a Tata Sierra. Back then, there was no two-door jeep quite like it, which made it stand out immediately. This was the late eighties, early nineties and it was the most fashionable car around which was a four-seater, had two doors, and a distinctive glass panel at the back. Everybody wanted one and being a Tata product, it carried the added pride of being proudly made in India.
Today, Varun's collection includes an 812 Competizione, a 458 Speciale and a 488 Pista Spyder all rare, special-edition Ferraris. Getting hold of cars like these isn't simply a matter of money. Owners need a track record with the marque built up over time, along with a fair amount of luck, before they're even considered. Building up to the Speciale, for instance, typically requires having owned five Ferraris beforehand.
The Speciale holds particular significance as one of the first proper naturally aspirated V8 special editions Ferrari ever made, following an earlier model, while the Pista Spyder represented the next generation of the 458. Being on Ferrari's list and deemed eligible is the only way in as the brand allocates its most special cars than simply selling them.
Of the three, Varun considers the 812 Competizione the most special. It's also the rarest, with only around four examples in India, which makes it his favourite among his special editions.
Its appeal lies largely in its naturally aspirated V12 which has grown increasingly rare as the industry shifts towards electrification, not just in India but globally. A self-described "naturally aspirated guy," Varun has a particular fondness for V8s and V12s and believes it's an experience that's hard to appreciate until you've had it firsthand. It's also completely standard, unmodified from the factory.
The 812 Competizione is track-spec but road-legal, offering a raw, circuit-ready feel with a V12 that behaves like a different beast altogether on track which is precisely what draws owners, Varun included, to the car. He drives it often and treats it as something of a grand tourer too, capable of cross-country runs to Jaipur or even Mumbai. He takes it out three to four times a week, mostly at night, reserving Sundays as dry days.
One of his earliest memories of the marque dates back to his school days in Delhi, spotting a Ferrari 355 widely regarded as one of the brand's best-looking models in Vasant Vihar. It was around 1995 or '96, and the moment stuck with him as a defining one. Looking back, he reflects on just how far the journey has come since then.
Varun designed the garage space himself, a project that took roughly a year to eighteen months to complete. Much of what fills it has been hand-picked, including a piece of art created by a close friend and designer, originally just a sketch the friend had lying around. Varun asked him to turn it into a clay model tailored to the space, and the result fits seamlessly. Every element in the garage has been chosen deliberately, piece by piece and Varun doesn't consider the project ever truly finished, he continues adding small details, for memories, for the future, for his children.
For Varun, it's less a bucket list than an ongoing collection. The new SP-3 Daytona is next on his radar, though acquiring one in India isn't possible given its left-hand-drive-only configuration meaning any future purchase would have to happen abroad.
Building a collection, he notes, takes time regardless of scale: deciding on the model, understanding a car's history, weighing whether it's new or from a dealership. But for now, he's very much in collecting mode, with the SP-3 Daytona topping his list.