Whenever one thinks of the Rolls-Royce brand, a lot of things pop to mind. Luxury, comfort and opulence are probably among the first, but not necessarily speed. That’s a pity though, because despite being veritable land yachts, Rolls-Royce cars can really get going in a hurry if need be. We tend to forget that under that long hood hides a very big and very turbocharged V12 engine with more than enough power to move a house.
It’s the same story with every model, albeit some are more ‘sporty’ than others. The Wraith Black Badge would probably be the fastest in any scenario but all cars are quick, especially in a straight line. That includes the Cullinan, Rolls-Royce’s ‘not-an-SUV’ high-riding vehicle. Under the hood of this behemoth hides the same engine used on the Phantom VIII, a BMW-sourced 6.75-liter twin-turbo V12 developing 571 PS and 850 Nm (627 lb-ft) of torque, available from as little as 1,600 RPM.
They allow the all-wheel drive Cullinan (the only all-wheel drive model Rolls-Royce ever made) to reach the 100 km/h (62 mph) benchmark speed in just 5.2 seconds. Let that sink in for a moment. This is a car that can be fitted with a champagne cooler, a veritable bench in the boot and tons of sound insulation, that can beat most cars on the road today to the 60 mph mark. And it does that while tipping the scales at 2,660 kg (5,864 lbs).
As you’re about to see in the video below, it will also handle corners better than you’d expect. Sure, the suspension is set up to be as soft as a cloud and yet, the car shows composure at the limit, in a way I didn’t see coming. The man behind the wheel probably is fearless as well, probably being bathed in the river Styx by his mother when he was an infant. Otherwise I can’t explain how Daryl Jones had the audacity of pushing this car to the absolute limit.
