The Rolls-Royce Cullinan Is The Latest To Embrace The Dark Side

• The Cullinan Black Badge is the darkest Black Badge car from Rolls-Royce.
• Exterior gains gloss black inserts and all-new 22-inch alloy wheels.
• Rolls-Royce has also tweaked the powertrain for better response.
• The cabin is now finished in Technical Carbon Veneer with black leather and Forge Yellow detailing.

Rolls-Royce has revealed the Cullinan Black Badge, which as the name suggests, gets a blacked-out treatment along with a bump in output figures. The Cullinan was Rolls-Royce’s first-ever attempt at an SUV back in 2018. The luxury SUV was subject to widespread criticism for its odd styling making it look like a Phantom on high heels. But hey, numbers don’t lie and Rolls-Royce registered an increase of 42 per cent in sales after the Cullinan’s debut. Nevertheless, here’s what’s the new Cullinan Black Badge is all about:

A new bespoke Signature Black is the shade that you see here in pictures. Provided you have the means, you can also opt for any one of the 44,000 colour options for the Cullinan Black Badge. The iconic Spirit Of Ecstacy is now finished in high-gloss black chrome along with various other exterior bits such as the grille, side frame finishers, boot handle, boot trim, lower air inlet finisher and exhaust pipes. Adding to the visual appeal are the contrasting coachline pinstripe and 22-inch forged alloy wheels with painted brake callipers.

The same black treatment is also carried over to the cabin, which features black leather and contrasting Forge Yellow detailing. The headliner is handwoven with 1,344 fibre optic lights for Rolls’ starlight headliner complete with eight brilliant white shooting stars. The instrument panel, door inserts, and the rear tray tables gain a gloss Technical Carbon veneer, which takes a leisurely 21 days to prepare.

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The Cullinan Black Badge uses the same 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12, which now punches out 600PS and a healthy 900Nm (29PS and 50Nm more than the standard Cullinan). Transmission duties are taken care of by the same ZF 8-speed gearbox although Rolls-Royce claims to have tweaked the whole powertrain setup for better response. The British brand has also gone ahead and revised the braking setup resulting in a decreased pedal travel and improved bite point. Even though the Black Badge takes a stealth approach, Rolls-Royce has surprisingly also fitted an entirely new exhaust system with a deep bassy note.

Rolls-Royce introduced the Black Badge with the Wraith and Ghost in 2016 closely followed by the Dawn in 2017. Pricing for the luxury SUV is yet to be revealed but according to Rolls-Royce, commissions (fancy word for bookings) have already begun. Meanwhile, the Cullinan is priced at a mere Rs 6.95 crore (ex-showroom Delhi) in India — excluding all the options!