New Brabus SUV is a 700hp Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Hold onto that monocle: the 700 Blue Sky gets a wider carbon bodykit - and a 753,000 euro price tag
Ever thought the Rolls-Royce Cullinan was lacking in the opulence department? Us neither, but that just means that if we were in charge of Brabus we probably wouldn’t dream up something as loopy as this. Meet the Brabus 700 Blue Sky, a blistered-arched, carbon fibre’d Cullinan that ought to have monocles falling out faster than the Monegasque socialite can get their order in.
It really is a sight to behold, isn't it? The Cullinan is far from a shrinking violet, but Bottrop’s take on brings a degree of extravagance that, to some, is sorely lacking on Goodwood’s SUV in its standard form. To do that, Brabus has bolted on its ‘Widestar’ bodykit, stretching the arches and bulking up the bumpers with exposed, glossy carbon fibre. More carbon can be found the rear wings, one above the rear window and the other just below, as well as on the number plate holders and even the badge, and anything that was originally chrome has been replaced with gloss black trim. Brabus says the design is all part of its ‘one-second-wow’ effect, and there’s no denying that.
That same ethos has been applied to the powertrain. Pinning the right pedal in a standard Cullinan is enough to muster a ‘good heavens’ from whoever’s driving, but to get that coveted ‘wow’ Brabus is after, the tuner has dialled up the 6.75-litre, twin-turbo V12 to 700hp and 701lb ft of torque - 100hp and 37lb ft more than a Cullinan Black Badge. Brabus hasn’t disclosed how it’s gone about unlocking all that extra grunt, other than the fitment of a stainless twin-exit exhaust system (with ‘active sound management’ butterfly valves), but it does say the 700 Blue Sky will get you from 0-62mph in five seconds dead - around three tenths faster than the standard car.
Meanwhile, the interior is almost unrecognisable. Rolls-Royce’s finely-crafted wood veneer trim is immediately ejected upon arrival at Bottrop and replaced with carbon fibre, while Goodwood’s hand-stitched leather is ditched for the tuner’s own, fully-custom upholstery. The ‘particularly soft and breathable’ leather is finished in ‘Blue Sky’, providing a striking contrast with the all-black exterior. Even the LED-lined headliner is done in house, mimicking the look of Rolls-Royce’s own Starlight liner.
No word on whether any work’s been done to the brakes or suspension, although a new ‘SportXtra’ mode can apparently lower the ride height by up to 25mm. And then there are the wheels, which are considerably chunkier than the already massive rims on the base car. They’re 24 inches all round, two more than the regular Cullinan, though perhaps more eye-opening is how much wider they are. The fronts measure in at 295mm, 40mm wider then standard, while the 355mm rears are a whopping 70mm broader. All come crapped in either Continental, Hankook or Yokohama rubber, to whom you’ll probably become their next best customer.
Not that potentially frequent tyre changes will matter all that much to Brabus buyers, mind. Prices for the 700 Blue Sky start at €753,400 (or £626k) before taxes are taken into account. Chump change to much of the tuner’s client base, surely, but if all you’re after is a blacked-out Cullinan, then take a look at this 2022 car for £296,950. Better yet, up the budget a smidgen and this Brabus-tuned Range Rover SV becomes available, all for less than half the price of the Blue Sky. Just saying…
Clearly there's money to be made in taking out all of the nice touches and replacing everything with carbon fibre, but surely it must be a small market of footballers and Saudi sheiks?!
1. A lot of muppets out there with no taste
2. A few way too financially privileged muppets out there with multiple vile vehicles with no taste.
Or basically a high level of insecurity to their basic essential human nature meaning they feel they have to buy these as a false sense of hope to make them feel better with.. no taste.
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