Rolls-Royce Cullinan Desert Video Redefines The Term 'Filthy Rich'

4 years, 2 months ago - 16 October 2020, motor1
Rolls-Royce Cullinan Desert Video Redefines The Term 'Filthy Rich'
Sand gets everywhere, especially when a 563-horsepower V12 is involved.

$300,000 vehicles run through the desert all the time. They're generally called race trucks or prerunners, trucking through the desert with the singular purpose of getting somewhere fast. One thing you don't see is a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, which can easily cost well over $300,000 and is designed to isolate passengers from rough terrain as opposed to flying over it.

However, the posh automaker is keen to tell you that you could romp through the desert in a Cullinan, if you really wanted. That's the focus of this curious video and photoshoot recently shared in an official press release, apparently just for the fun of it. This particular Cullinan isn't part of the company fleet – it's in the hands of a private owner who took to the desert dunes outside of Dubai for a bit of fun. And we must admit, the video does look like tremendous fun.

It's also rather surprising, in more ways than one. Yes, seeing a posh luxury machine getting tossed through deep sand offers some shock value, but it's not the first time we've seen the Cullinan stepping outside its comfort zone. The bigger surprise could be the tires used for the adventure, which sure like standard-issue road rubber to us. Given the cost of a new Cullinan, surely the owner could've ponied up for something a bit more suited to climbing sand dunes?

The video doesn't show much in the way of off-road trouble, however. The live action is neat to watch, but the photos are actually quite artful, capturing SUV and sand in moments of tranquil harmony. Having experienced the Cullinan for ourselves, we suspect the driver was enjoying no small measure of tranquility inside as well. As for the person tasked with cleaning up this gigantic sandy mess, sadly no such tranquility will be found.

We suspect very few Rolls-Royce Cullinan owners will embark on such adventures. Considering the automaker recently suggested its clientele didn't fit the EV lifestyle because they don't want to take charging cords out of the trunk, it's possible Rolls-Royce feels the same way. Still, if you really want to play in the sand with a luxury SUV costing nearly half a million dollars, you can.