“Black Badge strongly appeals to a distinct group of clients who seek a more visceral interpretation of the Rolls-Royce experience. In its engineering, technology, materials, and design, Black Badge Cullinan Series II satisfies these clients’ keen appetite for innovation and new modes of self-expression. Cullinan’s darker alter ego has always asserted its own unique place in our product portfolio; I’m certain that this new incarnation will build on its predecessor’s success.”
Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
“Black Badge Cullinan Series II reflects the changes we’ve seen in our client profile since we first launched this transformative motor car five years ago. Today, self-expression, individuality and boldness are demanded more than ever before – all attributes that form the core of the Black Badge attitude. Our creative response has matched the daring of those who commission these motor cars. The dark, primal elements that are so essential to the Black Badge character are expressed here in extremis, and are further amplified by dramatic and assertive coachwork reserved for this disruptive expression of the brand.”
Anders Warming, Director of Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Rolls-Royce’s disruptive alter ego, Black Badge, reached its apotheosis in Cullinan where its assertive and uncompromising attitude appeals to clients who seek the boldest forms of self-expression. Today, the marque presents a clear evolution of this subversive motor car with Black Badge Cullinan Series II.
BLACK BADGE CULLINAN SERIES II: EXTERIOR
Black Badge Cullinan Series II asserts its presence with an impactful front-end treatment. The principal differentiator is the lower air intake design. These geometrical pieces incorporate widened veins, signalling the motor car’s more urgent dynamic character. Above this is the marque’s iconic Pantheon grille, which has been illuminated for the first time across Cullinan and Black Badge Cullinan Series II. For Black Badge, the grille is finished in the series’ hallmark Black, though a silver ‘horizon line’ creates a sense of breadth and solidity while framing the motor car’s vertical daytime running lights. For clients wishing to fully cloak their motor car in darkness, this is also available in an all-black finish.
All exterior body detail elements and brightwork, including the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine, are also finished in Black. For the first time in the history of Black Badge, this now extends from the window surrounds and door spears to the door handles. Each piece is hand-prepared by the marque’s artisans: first, a light abrasive is used across the handle to provide a ‘key’ for a hardwearing primer, onto which four coats of Black paint are then applied. After curing, these pieces are individually polished to ensure that they match the rich, high-gloss coachwork of Black Badge Cullinan Series II.
Other darkened elements, including the rear tailgate and bumper accents as well as the motor car’s exhausts, are treated with a specific chrome electrolyte to achieve the mirror-black effect. This is introduced to the traditional chrome plating process and co-deposited on the stainless-steel substrate, darkening the finish. Its final thickness is just one micrometre – around one hundredth of the width of a human hair. Each of these components is precision-polished by hand to achieve a mirror-black chrome finish before it is fitted to the motor car.
Black Badge Cullinan Series II clients are now able to extend exterior colours to all lower body surfaces, as well as the subtly enhanced lower sill, valances, and lower front bumper – a treatment reserved for Black Badge Cullinan Series II. This visually lowers the motor car, creating a more dynamic statement that further amplifies its monolithic form.
The exterior treatment is completed with 23-inch wheels – the first time wheels of this size have been offered by the marque for a Black Badge motor car. From a distance, the design appears to consist of five spokes finished in gloss-black and silver. In fact, there are 10 interwoven spokes: the visual effect is created by a carefully-orchestrated interplay between polished, painted and recessed, negative surfaces. The design also allows a clear view of the Black Badge disc brake callipers, shown in a signature Red, which can also be finished in Black, Turchese, Mandarin, or Forge Yellow.
BLACK BADGE CULLINAN SERIES II: A SUBVERSIVE INTERIOR TREATMENT
Advanced, technical materials have become a hallmark of Black Badge Rolls-Royce motor cars. For Black Badge Cullinan Series II, this theme continues. Clients expressed their appreciation of the original Black Badge Cullinan’s Technical Carbon finish – on this basis, this exquisite material has been retained for Series II. The naked-weave carbon-fibre finish has been developed to create a precise repeating pattern of geometrical shapes that create a three-dimensional effect. Each leaf of Technical Carbon is finished with six coats of lacquer before being left to cure for 72 hours then all 23 pieces are hand-polished to a mirror finish. This process takes 21 days in total.
If Individual Rear Seats are commissioned, clients can include the Black Badge family motif, known as the infinity symbol, onto the rear Technical Carbon ‘Waterfall’ section that separates the rear reclining seats and conceals the Cullinan Series II Champagne cooler. This delicate aluminium piece is placed between the third and fourth layer of six layers of subtly tinted lacquer, creating the illusion that the symbol is floating above the Technical Carbon. In Lounge Seat configuration, the infinity symbol is embroidered.
The seats themselves are available to commission in the marque’s stunning new Duality Twill textile, a new fabric made using natural bamboo fibres and inspired by the extensive bamboo grove in Le Jardin des Méditerranées on the Côte d’Azur, which neighbours Sir Henry Royce’s former winter home, Villa Mimosa. The twill textile is embroidered with an artistic ‘Duality’ graphic. Based on an abstract interpretation of the two interlinked letter R initials of the marque’s founders, the design reflects a clear nautical influence, reminiscent of the interweaving rope lines found on sailing yachts – another subtle allusion to the French Riviera.
A complete Duality Twill interior of the intricately embroidered textile incorporates up to 2.2 million stitches and 11 miles of thread. This exquisite material can be further dramatised with bold Bespoke colourways, further enhancing this remarkable new finish for Black Badge clients.
Placed Perforation seating can also be incorporated into this bold expression of Cullinan. Up to 107,000 0.8- and 1.2-millimetre perforations are made onto the seat leather, creating an abstract pattern, inspired by the constantly changing shapes and shadows of the clouds over the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood in the twilight hours.
