Born in 2018 as the direct response to Bentley’s Bentayga assault on the luxury crossover SUV niche, Rolls-Royce’s Cullinan has quickly outclassed its main opponent, at least in terms of hyped aftermarket builds.
No need to believe us, as it takes just a quick overview of major tuning and customization centers - especially from the United States - to admit that bespoke Cullinans have become increasingly abundant. And they should, as the owners have but a slim window of opportunity to stand out in any ultra-luxury SUV crowd before the V12 fight becomes a Rolls-Royce versus Ferrari Purosangue affair.
Until then, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan rules undefeated over the hearts and minds of affluent owners who think that a Range Rover, G-Class, Escalade, or even a Lambo Urus super-SUV are beneath their dignity. By the way, has anyone noticed that Rolls-Royce is now – more than ever – in line with the latest trends? One major hint is represented by the company’s bespoke Black Badge program, which is just one colorful step away from painting the Cullinan (among others) black and calling it murdered-out.
Alas, that does not mean aftermarket outlets have abandoned their turf, and all-black Cullinan SUVs continue to remain a major highlight across their social media reels. Just recently, the good folks over at performance wheel specialist AL13 Wheels Design + Technik have found yet another British ultra-luxury SUV treat to feast our Insta eyes upon, courtesy of the Los Angeles, California-based exotic/Euro performance tuning specialists over at Gintani.
The latter seems to love Porsche and Lamborghini build projects, but somehow this “bossy” Rolls-Royce Cullinan has slipped under their radar and found a place to get dressed in a widebody aerodynamic kit attire, plus to adopt a murdered-out look. Sure, some fans might say that all-black Cullinans have become yesterday’s news, and we would have been inclined to agree – but remember, there’s also AL13’s signature embedded below.
Photo: al13wheels / Instagram
So, the ultra-posh SUV went out of its way to stand out in the affluent blacked-out crowd with help from a set of C020.1 - 109R three-piece wheels that almost feel like they were made a century ago when steelies ruled the entire automotive world. Alas, these Satin/Gloss Black units have been adamant (alongside the widebody kit) at helping this Cullinan enter “BEAST Mode” thanks to their deep-dish Aerodisc portrayal.
Thus, after we thought that nothing could impress us (for both the right and wrong reasons, all at once!) past that widebody Novitec Rolls-Royce Cullinan that was lowered and murdered-out on solid Forgiatos, here is another all-black widebody ultra-luxury SUV riding hunkered down on a set of stunning Aerodisc AL13s. As always, the devil is surely in the not-so-small details, such as the massive deep-dish setup, or the intricate geometrical pattern finish to go along with the intertwined RR badges…
Unfortunately, neither AL13 nor the aftermarket outlet that handled the build project bothered to present us with even a quick peek inside the swanky interior. On the other hand, the wheel experts did take a remarkably close look at what makes their Aerodisc C020.1 - 109R three-piece wheel tick. Custom-specified for this Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the setup makes the ultra-luxury SUV ride on 24 inchers, and naturally does not omit the ultimate baller item – the Rolls-Royce floating cap!
Also, while Gintani is a self-appointed tuning specialist, we could provide an educated guess that we are not dealing with any power enhancements for this V12-powered Cullinan. So, the Black Badge Rolls-Royce probably still relies on “just” 563 horsepower, 850 Nm (627 lb-ft) of twisting torque, and the ability to hit a 250 kph/155 mph top speed by way of the legendary 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine. Which is still more than enough, at least for now.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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