That one will soon behold a staple serving of the Cullinan on the roads of the UAE is not a matter of doubt. How often will one see it atop the big red or the intimidating dunes of Liwa is. Probably close to never! Yet, for the high-bodied vehicle of Rolls-Royce, it is important to demonstrate that it could, if only its owner had the heart to. And so the Rolls-Royce Cullinan embarks on this final journey that scales the summits of adventure, far from its natural habitat of luxury to where camels dare.
Rolls-Royce has named it the final challenge but, just a few weeks or months before its global reveal, it is more like the first public demonstration of its prowess. And when the story is viewed through the venerable yellow window of the National Geographic Traveller – it is truth and dare at once. It is in any case a capsular summary of the gruelling testing that the Cullinan would have gone through over three years on all terrains except Martian craters. Joining the adventurer-photographer Cory Richards of NGT on this adventure are seasoned drivers from the Rolls-Royce base, and local experts. The story has picked three enchanting, wild and challenging places – Scotland, the UAE and the USA. National Geographic team is documenting the journey with daily updates broadcast from these spectacular locations.
The result is a series of brief, eminently watchable videos (despite the ‘scripted’ feeling here and there) capturing the beauty and menace of these terrains and testing the lengths to which the vehicle could be pushed. In true NGT style, the first series of six captures one of the most beautiful yet complex landscapes of the world – the highlands and shallow rivers of Scotland. From the snow-clad mountains, the scene now shifts to the sand dunes of the UAE and the Cullinan celebrates playtime in the silken sand.
“I promised the public three years ago that I would involve them in the development and testing of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and I continue to keep that promise by making The Final Challenge, a public trial,” comments Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer of Rolls-Royce.
You can follow the Rolls-Royce Cullinan’s Final Challenge on www.nationalgeographic.com/rollsroycecullinan as well as www.Rolls-RoyceMotorCars.com. Start by watching the first UAE episode right here, on Drivemeonline. Six episodes in Scotland and one in the UAE have been out yet. [Pictures and Video from National Geographic Traveller and Rolls-Royce]
