The Rolls-Royce Cullinan has now received the Black Badge treatment. Rolls-Royce announced the model earlier today. The Black Badge emerged for the Wraith and the Ghost in 2016 followed by the Dawn in 2017.
The Black Badge models are described by Rolls-Royce as being “highly dynamic and wilfully rebellious in aesthetic”. According to the British manufacturer, the cars are defined by “…the taste patterns of an emerging generation of super-luxury consumer.” If the standard Rolls-Royce Cullinan is a traditional set of Gucci Loafer, the Black Badge is the equivilent of Yeezy’s. On trend with the youth.
The Cullinan has been around since 2018 and in that time we have seen some very edgy (and personal) specifications. For the black badge, Rolls-Royce ramps the number of paint options up to 44,000 with the further option of an entirely bespoke paint job. The most popular is actually relatively simply signature black. The deveil is in the detail though, as the multi-layer paint is meticulously applied and hand polished 10 times.
On the Cullinan Black Badge, the spirit of ecstasy is finished in high gloss black crime which extends, for the first time, to the mounting plate. This carries across to the front grille surround, side frame finishers, boot handle, boot trim, lower air inlet finisher and exhaust pipes.
All-new 22-inch forged alloy wheels are reserved exclusively for the Black Badge Cullinan. They hide the first painted calipers, finished in high gloss Red paint.
Inside, the vaneer is a naked-weave carbon-fibre finish, creating geometrical shapes. Each leaf is finished in six coats of lacquer and left to cure for 72 hours before it is hand polished. It takes 21 days and is alligned with the 232 other pieces within the car during the quality assurance stage.
The Starlight Headliner is finished in black leather with 1,344 fibre optic lights reflecting the sky at night. Eight shooting stars dart over the front seat occupants on occassion. Forge Yellow is a brand new leather colour created specifically for the Rolls Royce Cullinan Black Badge. An Infinity lemniscate motif is embroidered into the fold-down rear arm-rest.
Beyond the aesthetics, Rolls-Royce bring a few engineering updates to the 6.75 litre V12 engine. It gets a new exhaust system, accessed in its fullest form by a ‘Low’ button on the gear selector. A 29 hp boost sees the Cullinan produce 600 hp and 900 Nm of torque for the first time.
Pricing won’t be released. If you can afford one, you likely won’t even need to ask!