by Rolls-Royce created five unique Cullinans in collaboration with a graffiti legend
Rolls-Royce commissioned graffiti legend Cyril Kongo to create five customized Cullinan SUVs by hand. Each interior features hand-painted panels, vivid leather, and individual starlight ceilings. All five examples are based on the 592 hp Black Badge performance version and have already found their owners.
If you’ve ever looked at a graffiti-covered subway car and thought, “It lacks lambswool carpeting,” you are not alone. Rolls-Royce was thinking along similar lines, and now the British luxury brand has teamed up with French graffiti artist Cyril Kongo to create five hand-painted Black Badge Cullinans. The results will make Rolls-Royce traditionalists choke on their tea.
At first glance, the interiors truly look like someone parked a $400,000 SUV under an overpass for six months. Aerosol-style graffiti adorns the dashboard, center console, picnic tables, rear bulkhead, and even the starlight headliner.
Related: The new Mansory Cullinan has more carbon fiber than a McLaren and less taste than a Civic Type R
Kongo is no random street artist Rolls-Royce found on Instagram. He is a recognized contemporary artist whose work already adorns everything from luxury watches to private jets. Rolls-Royce states the collaboration emerged after younger collectors expressed interest in bolder contemporary art commissions through the Private Office studios in New York, Seoul, and Goodwood.
Wisely, Rolls-Royce seized this opportunity. Luxury brands love talking about attracting young wealthy buyers, but most attempts look painfully forced. This one does not. The 592 hp V12 Black Badge Cullinan already exists as a darker, more rebellious alternative to the Rolls-Royce SUV, and Rolls has previously drawn parallels with the Los Angeles car tuning subculture, so the combination with graffiti actually makes sense.
Each panel is hand-painted
The coolest details are those not immediately obvious. Each interior is divided into four color zones with vibrant contrasting leather inserts, while Kongo personally hand-painted each piece of wood veneer before Rolls covered everything with ten protective layers of lacquer. Even the fiber optic stars in the headliner were arranged according to his artistic vision.
On the outside, things remain relatively restrained, but there are several details distinguishing these cars from the standard Cullinan, which was updated in 2024. Each of the five Cullinans received a dark Blue Crystal Over Black paint finish plus gradient lines that smoothly transition between different colors on each side. Rolls even installed multi-colored brake calipers on each wheel to match the interior accents.
It would be easy to dismiss all this as rich people trying to look cool. But there is something refreshingly uncompromising about it. Rolls-Royce could have played it safe by releasing yet another special edition SUV with different leather and unique floor mats. Instead, it handed a spray can to a graffiti artist and let him loose inside the Cullinan, creating something truly unique. But next time, please let him paint the exterior too.
This collaboration is further evidence of how luxury brands are trying to adapt to the tastes of a new generation of buyers who value not only luxury but also individuality and artistic value. Although some may consider this approach too extravagant, it undoubtedly attracts attention and generates buzz around the brand. It remains to be seen whether Rolls-Royce will dare to undertake similar experiments with other models, as demand for such unique cars seems only to be growing.
