he spirit of being able to go anywhere and do

anything still hovers over the auto industry.

Until now, Rolls-Royce had been happy to let

its history do the talking and not engage in

the SUV one-upmanship that everyone from

Porsche to Lamborghini has indulged in.

But behind the scenes, the UK company had

another idea. ‘We kept it a secret for a while,’

admits Giles Taylor, Rolls-Royce’s design

director. But in early 2015, the marque

acknowledged the existence of a ‘high-sided

vehicle’, dubbed ‘Project Cullinan’ – after the

Cullinan diamond, 3,106.75 carats of rough

gem discovered in South Africa in 1905 and

the source of at least nine major stones. The

industry waited to see how ultimate luxury

could be applied to utility design.

Along the line, Project Cullinan became

simply ‘Cullinan’, a departure from over

a century of spectral monikers. ‘We didn’t

want this to be another two-box SUV.

It had to have utility, but in a Rolls-Royce

way,’ Taylor says. Admittedly, in Rolls-Royce’s

world, ‘utility’ only goes so far. ‘Metal and

sober greys hint at simplicity, but ultimately

luxury prevails,’ Taylor adds. It’s not snobbish

afectation, but a simple acknowledgement

that while some rivals are all-wheel-drive

all-rounders, the Cullinan is all that

T but with extra reinements. The optional»

000088 ∑∑