Cullinan MANSORY

The Cullinan is Rolls-Royce's first SUV, launched in 2018 on the Architecture of Luxury, the aluminium chassis shared with the Phantom and Ghost. The 2022 model year places it at the end of the first generation's run, with Series II only arriving in 2024. Its mechanical uniqueness lies in retaining a 6.75-litre V12 in an SUV, while rivals have switched to V8s.

The 6,749 cc twin-turbo V12 develops 420 kW (571 hp) and 850 Nm, figures for the standard version, with the Black Badge at 600 hp and 900 Nm. The eight-speed automatic gearbox preselects gears using GPS data, the drive is all-wheel, all four wheels are steerable, and the self-levelling air suspension works with the Flagbearer system, two stereo cameras reading the road up to 100 km/h to prepare the dampers.

The conversion is by Mansory, a workshop founded in 1989 by Kourosh Mansory, based since 2001 in Brand, Bavaria. On the first-generation Cullinan, its carbon programme widens the bodywork: reshaped front bumper with large air intakes, bonnet with central rib, vented wheel arch extensions connected to new side skirts, roof and boot spoilers, 24-inch forged M23 wheels in 295/30 R24. Its engine kit takes the V12 to 610 hp and 950 Nm, above the standard 571 hp and 850 Nm. Matt grey bodywork, beige upholstery.

Mansory preparation: carbon bodywork, specific wheels and interior, with engine remapping depending on the kit, claimed up to 720 hp and 1,050 Nm; the above figures are those of the standard Cullinan.

Widened bodywork alters the vehicle's width compared to that recorded on the registration certificate: registering in France requires documentation from the tuner, submitted to the DREAL (regional environmental, planning and housing directorate). On this model, so-called Mansory-style copies are widely available at a fraction of the price of genuine parts, which can be identified by their references and the workshop invoice, a document that follows the car on resale. The 24-inch wheels require a specific tyre size that wears quickly under 2.7 tonnes.

Taxation: for a first registration in 2022, the CO2 penalty follows the 2022 scale, at its ceiling of 40,000 EUR from 224 g/km, and 377 g/km is within this; only the age-related reduction by month bands lowers it (CIBS art. L. 421-7-2: 38% between forty-nine and sixty months). The weight penalty is reduced to zero, as the CO2 penalty already reaches the ceiling (art. L. 421-74). Add the regional tax for the carte grise (French registration certificate), 60 EUR per fiscal horsepower in Centre-Val de Loire in 2026, for a vehicle with around fifty fiscal horsepower.