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Not every Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge comes in black

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — When Rolls-Royce recently unveiled the Cullinan Black Badge, the released press photos were of a very black car in a very black environment. But that did not match the car that was actually shown to the press. Quite the opposite, actually. The small event at the BMW Zentrum factory in South Carolina took place at night under a set of bright lights, and the car that came through the curtain wore a bright white body. We were fortunate enough to spend a brief time with the white Black Badge and snapped some photos of its details. As a reminder, all Black Badges have upgraded performance on top of the altered visual cues. Its twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V8 has been upgraded to make 600 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque, and the brakes, suspension and exhaust have been retuned as well. We spent an extremely limited amount of time in the Black Badge, so we cannot offer full comments about how it drives, but we can say the exhaust offers a nice insulated grumble in "Low" mode, the quickness off the line doesn't make any sense for a vehicle its size (trust us, it is huge), and it seemed controlled while cruising up the curves onto the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, where these photos were taken.  The white paint exaggerates the parts Rolls-Royce darkens on all Black Badge models. The Spirit of Ecstasy, the grille surround, the inverted badging, the side frame finishers, the trunk handle, the trunk trim, the lower air inlet finisher, and the exhaust pipes have all gone black. Inside, this particular Cullinan has a red leather interior with patterned carbon fiber accents. It also has light contrast stitching, which includes infinity signs, a symbol used on Sir Malcolm Campbell's Rolls-Royce-powered Blue Bird K3 hydroplane. Check out all the details, including the built-in event seats in the trunk, in our massive gallery above. Featured Gallery White Rolls-Royce Black Badge Cullinan View 55 Photos Design/Style Rolls-Royce Luxury rolls-royce cullinan

Even in a down economy, Rolls-Royce is on a roll

Limited Volume, Big Margins Spell Success
Bigger isn't always better, especially when it comes to selling super luxury. Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös expects the British automaker to again post a record year, despite the economic troubles in Europe and weak growth in both the US and China.
"It is not all doom and gloom out there," Müller-Ötvös explains, noting that the declining sales in Europe and elsewhere have been offset by good performance for the marque in the Middle East, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Russia.

Rolls-Royce builds one of its smallest cars ever

Kid-size versions of expensive cars are nothing new, and a handful have come out in the past year. McLaren released a tiny iteration of its P1, and Morgan did the same with its EV3. Rolls-Royce has joined the crowd with its new Rolls-Royce SRH. Unlike those other British automakers, though, Rolls only built one, and it went to a good home. The car was built for the St. Richard's Hospital Pediatric Day Surgery Unit, located in the same town as Rolls-Royce headquarters. The car also gets its SRH name from the hospital. It was provided to St. Richard's for patients to drive down to the operating theater. The hallway to the theater is decorated with road signs, too. Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos said in a press release, "We hope that the Rolls-Royce SRH will serve to make the experience for young people during treatment a little less stressful." Also, just because the SRH is small doesn't mean less care was taken to build it. The same attention to detail Rolls-Royce brings to its large vehicles is on display here. For one thing, it was built by the Bespoke Manufacturing division, which builds specially customized models for clients. The car also features contemporary Rolls-Royce design features such as self-righting wheel centers, and an interior designed to precisely match the red coachline along the blue and silver body. Of course, there's also a small example of the Spirit of Ecstasy on the hood. Rolls even had a special unveiling for a couple of the hospital's patients at the factory, and allowed them to motor around the factory floor. Powering the little car is an electric motor coupled to a 24 volt battery. Speed is controlled via paddles behind the steering wheel, and it has a top speed of 10 mph, though that speed can be limited to 4 mph. After all, the car is going to a hospital, and there's no need to have inexperienced drivers causing additional injuries. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Rolls-Royce SRH Image Credit: Rolls-Royce Toys/Games Rolls-Royce Electric Luxury