Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge is a bespoke creation carrying dark theme inside and out with meticulous precision
Rolls-Royce introduced its Cullinan, widely considered as the pinnacle of luxury SUVs, in India in December 2018 while the Black Badge version has just made its domestic debut and is priced at Rs. 8.20 crore (ex-showroom) and the pricing depends on the customer specification. The initial previews of the Black Badge Cullinan was hosted in New Delhi.
The Black Badge Cullinan targets ‘younger, adventurous Rolls-Royce customers’ not bound by convention and it comes as the darkest, most urban expression of a Black Badge motor car yet according to the brand. The Black Badge range was first unveiled back in 2016 on the Ghost, Wraith and Dawn in 2017 and it is distinguished by the assortment of dark treatments across the bodily surfaces.
It includes high gloss chromed black Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, black front grille surrounds, black coated exhaust tips, black window trim and 22-inch forged black alloy wheels with red brake calipers. Additionally, the Rolls-Royce logos are also blacked out. Inside the cabin, the Forge Yellow leather gets black treated as well and compared to the regular Cullinan, it ends up being sportier courtesy of the naked weave ‘Technical Carbon’ veneer.
The Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge derives power from a 6.75-litre twin turbocharged V12 engine with increased power output of 600 PS and 900 Nm of peak torque. The added power and 50 Nm torque has shortened the zero to 100 kmph acceleration time by 0.1 second and the air suspension has also been stiffened for greater driving characteristics.
The drivetrain (including throttle and transmission) and chassis have also been re-engineered for better performance alongside the brake mapping to squeeze out more dynamism. In the Cullinan Black Badge, multiple layers of paint and lacquer are applied and hand-polished ten times at Goodwood in West Sussex and RR says it is the most comprehensive surface finish process ever applied to a solid paint.
Moreover, each leaf of Technical Carbon is finished with six coats of lacquer before being left to cure for 72 hours and then hand-polished to Rolls-Royce’s hallmark mirror finish. This process takes 21 days and is only deemed complete once every piece is inspected by a craftsperson make sure complete reflective uniformity.
