The Rolls-Royce Cullinan – Dubai’s Most Popular Exotic Car Every country has its best-selling dream car. In the UK and Europe, the Porsche 911 takes that crown, followed by the BMW M4. In the USA, the Ford Mustang is the clear champion. In Japan, its easily the Nissan GT-R. But on a recent trip to Dubai, I discovered that the most popular exotic car came down to a choice of two. The Lamborghini Huracan, which is now no longer in production, and perhaps more notably, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Launched in 2018, the Cullinan was Rolls-Royce’s first SUV and was named after the largest diamond ever discovered. Whilst its styling has been divided, to say the least (the back, in my opinion, resembles a London Cab), there’s no denying its interior is stunning. With the exception of the Bentley, no manufacturer on the market can even come close to Rolls-Royce. It’s like being in the back of a private Jet. Powering the Cullinan is a 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine, delivering 563 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. This means, despite the 2-tonne weight and the 155mph top speed, the Cullinan will achieve 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds. For a bit more edge, you can opt for the Black-Badge, which produces 592 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. This results in 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds. But let’s be honest, you don’t buy a Rolls-Royce for performance. The Cullinan will get spanked by every exotic SUV on the market. You buy it to waft about in, to completely close yourself off from the world. And as a luxury car, it is truly exceptional, quiet, refined, and unbelievably comfortable. Even on roads in Dubai that aren’t quite up to par, it irons out the bumps and crests. In 2024, Rolls launched the Cullinan II, which gained subtle styling changes like sharper LED headlights, wider air intakes at the bottom, and a subtly designed, narrower grille. And all these changes have made it look a lot worse, actually, especially considering its price tag of $400,000. Certainly, the styling and price are the most off-putting things about this car because otherwise, it's solid. And certainly great in the eyes of the Sheikhs of Dubai. Rolls-Royce Cullinan Cosmos – Capturing the Essence of the Universe So great in fact that a family in Dubai commissioned a bespoke one-off Cullinan II through Rolls-Royce of Dubai. The family essentially wanted the car to capture the essence of the cosmos, something Rolls tries to replicate through the starlight roof. So after 10,000 craftsman hours, the one-off Rolls-Royce Cullinan II Cosmos emerged from the Goodwood factory, as the bespoke model of Dubai. The exterior of the Cullinan Cosmos features a beautiful Arabescato Pearl finish contrasted with a hand-painted Charles Blue twin coach line, 23-inch wheels, and a transparent Illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy. Inside the Cullinan Cosmos features Charles Blue and Grace White leather alongside Piano White veneer, a Star Cluster Embroidery on the door panels and headrests, and a hand-painted cosmic design. But the real highlight is the first fully hand-painted Starlight Headliner that Rolls have commissioned. This whole design took more than 160 hours to complete, which is expected, given that the artist used a makeup brush to achieve the soft haze on the roof. And to really capture the universe within, each painted star was complemented by fibre-optic perforations punched individually. Rolls-Royce says this package is very much an embodiment of the night sky, the mix of starlight streaks, and a moonlight shining across, with depictions of the Milky Way and Cosmic Clouds. This elegant design definitely improves on what is an otherwise horrible-looking car. And given its heading to Dubai, which of course is where the Cullinan is most popular, this lucky family can certainly claim. They have the only Cullinan that looks decent. And that really is an achievement. Source: Rolls-Royce
