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Nothing Says Superstar Like the 1-of-62 Blue Shadow Rolls Royce Cullinan

When the first Roll-Royce automobiles arrived in America, the customs officers were reluctant to write gasoline as the source of power for the luxurious automobile. They simply deemed the cars too quiet to be piston-driven and were convinced the RRs were electric. Rolls-Royce rechallenged the automobile universe when in-car air conditioning became a thing. The carmaker promised its climate-controlled limousines would drive from the North Pole to the Equator without ever needing a cabin temperature adjustment.
Rolls-Royce Black Badge Cullinan Blue Shadow 14 photos
Photo: Rolls-Royce
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And now, it seems as if the Planet is not enough for Rolls-Royce, who decided to take its customers to the Karman line. That’s the fine edge where our Planet’s atmosphere ends, and the rest of the Universe begins. Before space tourists rush to the dealership to order a space-faring Rolls, please know that the British auto giant isn’t launching some sort of personal luxury starship (yet!) but instead offers a new design line for the brand’s SUV.

To be astronomically precise, 62 Black Badge Cullinan 'Blue Shadow' Private Collection automobiles will be produced. And 62 is the number of miles from the sea level to the ineffable boundary that marks the absolute limit of our Earth in the vastness of the Cosmos (100 kilometers right above our heads).

In this intangible place, the blue heaven above us begins to morph into the deep black of the Universe, a sight only very few blessed humans have ever laid eyes upon. Rolls-Rouce captured that unrepeatable hue in its 'Stardust Blue' exterior paint.

Rolls\-Royce Black Badge Cullinan Blue Shadow
Photo: Rolls-Royce
As an homage to the Space Shuttle program, the grille of the 62 cosmic Cullinans is surrounded by the same color as the high-temperature-resisting tiles found on the bellies of the famous space vehicles.

The flying lady atop the hood is 3D-printed from titanium (another extremely strong material used in cosmic endeavors) and finished with a thin layer of blue-tinted lacquer. The Spirit of Ecstasy’s base shows the Black Badge infinity logo and an engraving that reads ‘Blue Shadow’ Private Collection. The wheels of the astronomically-exclusive Blue Shadow’s wheels are also darkened with translucent lacquer.

Six layers of paint – mixing five different tones of blue and one in black – were applied on the interior fascia and door panels and sprayed with a clear coat that contains 0.05% blue and colorless glass particles. The percentage was calculated to replicate the shine and gloss of the cosmos as seen from the Karman Line.

Rolls\-Royce Black Badge Cullinan Blue Shadow
Photo: Rolls-Royce
As if the stellar paint isn’t impressive enough already, Rolls-Royce crafted a Moon-and-stars embroidery using five different colors of thread. To create a distinct texture for the five weaves, a different technique was used for each. The intricate embroidery, detailing the moon’s surface in a 3D-like perspective, is obtained by applying a quarter of a million stitches (a two-day fabrication process).

The Starlight Headliner contains precisely 1,183 ‘stars’ – 799 white and 384 blue fiber-optic glows – affixed in the leather canvas through hand-perforation. The seats benefit from a similar treatment, but the artwork is a map of Earth as seen from high above, and its intricate manufacturing leaves an impression of clouds floating over the world.

The continents are represented with 0.8-mm (0.03 inches) punctures, while the planetary ocean is depicted in a slightly lower definition. The pixel-like holes measure 1.2 mm (0.05 inches), and each seat has 75,000 perforations – count them if you have doubts. The complex details took a fortnight to design and five trials before it was deemed acceptable for the Blue Shadows.

Rolls\-Royce Black Badge Cullinan Blue Shadow
Photo: Rolls-Royce
"The Blue Shadow occurs at the outer extremes of our world, affording an extraordinary perspective and the ability to touch the stars." This text – polished in aluminum and covered by lacquer – is found on the picnic tables of the ultra-rare Cullinans.

A bespoke luggage set – again, matching the colors of the Private Collection – and a 1:8 scale model of the full-size Black Badge Cullinan Blue Shadow can be ordered as accessories. The toy Rolls feature fully functioning exterior and interior lights, and the doors open to reveal an exact recreation of the life-size details.

The Black Badge Cullinan 'Blue Shadow' is available exclusively via the Rolls-Royce Private Office – and each of the 62 examples (one for each mile that separated mere mortals from the realm of the gods) has been signed for by clients from across the Planet.

Rolls\-Royce Black Badge Cullinan Blue Shadow
Photo: Rolls-Royce
While not an exact delimitation of our planet’s atmosphere, the Karman Line is generally regarded as the upper border of national airspace (but no international law explicitly states this). It is the zone where the Northern Lights (the heavenly Aurora Borealis) are born, dreams begin, and where Rolls-Royce teleports its Cullinan Blue Shadow passengers.

And even if the magnificently-lavish automobile won’t get there on its own, Rolls-Royce is searching for a practical solution for hypersonic aviation propulsion systems that can reach – or even surpass – that imaginary line.

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About the author: Razvan Calin
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After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads.
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