Most people call a large vehicle with big wheels and tires, boxy styling, and four driven wheels an SUV. Rolls-Royce is not most people. It’s the company that calls the convertible version of its Phantom a “Drophead Coupe” and suicide doors “coach doors.”
So it makes sense that Rolls-Royce is calling its upcoming vehicle, currently named Project Cullinan (named after a 3,106-carat diamond dug up in South Africa in the early 20th century), an “all-terrain, high-sided vehicle.” The word SUV doesn’t appear in the company’s latest press release (below) at all. According to Autoweek, “It does appear the Cullinan will be closer to a high-riding station wagon version of the Phantom, which will also debut in 2018, than a classic SUV,” despite it having four-wheel drive and a two-box profile.
There’s a reason Project Cullinan has a resemblance to the Phantom; both vehicles will share the same all-aluminum platform that will underpin all Rolls-Royces starting in 2018. Whatever the production version of Project Cullinan ends up being called, it’ll have to undergo cold-weather testing in the Arctic Circle and hot-weather testing in the Middle East first. The goal is it being “Effortless … Everywhere.”
Rolls-Royce’s (non-)SUV will start rolling out of the Goodwood plant sometime late next year as a 2018 model. Expect a 6.75-liter V12 under the hood and a starting price tag north of $400,000.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
