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2019 Rolls-Royce Cullinan First Drive Review | $325,000 of monolithic serenity

JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming – The north face of Snow King Mountain drops a dizzying 1,571 feet, forming the steepest ski slope in the lower 48 states. Considering the Rolls-Royce Cullinan's prevailing theme of superlatives– it's named after the world's largest uncut diamond and claims the highest starting price of any SUV on the planet– it's no surprise that my first experience in the $325,000 monolith involved driving it up Snow King's switchback crisscrossed trail. For a vehicle that proudly displays a retractable Spirit of Ecstasy ornament above the imposing "Parthenon" grille, there are a few subtle ways the Cullinan departs from Rolls-Royce's tried and true touchpoints. Though its platform is an expanded version of the Phantom VIII's new so-called Architecture of Luxury, the aluminum spaceframe houses Rolls-Royce's first-ever all-wheel drive powertrain. The twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V12 is another familiar element that delivers 637 lb-ft of peak torque at an even lower 1,600 rpm; horsepower remains at 563, or as they once said in olden times, "sufficient." But unlike in Phantom and Ghost, the rear passengers aren't nestled behind the D-pillar like starlets in hiding but instead are exposed with a clear view of the surroundings thanks to considerable acreage of double-paned glass. The commanding visibility from the elevated seats is lovely, especially when approaching Snow King Mountain's initial ascent. Though Cullinan is positioned as having some degree of offroad capability, don't expect the complex Terrain Response settings you'll find in a run-of-the-mill Range Rover. The only drive mode setting is "Offroad," which elevates the air suspension, stiffens the ride (to avoid bottoming out the dampers), and ensures that wheels are pushed earthward if contact is lost. Throttle response is softened, and traction control becomes less restrictive and can be completely disabled. Cullinan feels large and commanding from the driver seat which makes tackling the steep grade seem all the more doable. Push the Offroad button and the vehicle lifts up in steps, like a camel getting on its feet. There's a notably softer pause between throttle input and forward motion when you're climbing loose gravel, so much so that you might need to bury the throttle to get going. What's actually happening beneath you, though, remains a bit of a mystery thanks to the surreal levels of isolation and sound deadening embedded into this platform.

Cargo ship carrying 1,200 Jaguars and Land Rovers deliberately run aground [w/video]

A cargo ship carrying a load of new cars out of Southampton has run aground in the English Channel in between England and the Isle of Wight. The vessel apparently suffered some sort of failure just 45 minutes after leaving port that caused it to list heavily to the starboard side before the crew deliberately beached it on Bramble Bank to prevent the ship from capsizing altogether. The vessel, called the Hoegh Osaka, is a 590-foot car carrier weighing some 57,000 tons and registered in Singapore. Although several automakers (including Honda and Bentley) were reportedly looking into whether they had cars on board, the vessel is said to have been filled to approximately one-third its capacity, with 1,400 vehicles on board – including 1,200 Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, 65 Mini models and one Rolls-Royce Wraith. 70 to 80 pieces of construction equipment were also said to be on board. The Hoegh Osaka was en route from the southern British port of Southampton to Bremerhaven, Germany. Fortunately, no major injuries have been reported. The crew was mostly airlifted by helicopter off of the beached ship, with two crew members evacuated by lifeboat. One crew member reportedly jumped over 25 feet off the ship into the water before being immediately retrieved by rescue workers. According to the Daily Mail, two crew members were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, including a broken leg. It may take several days, if not longer, to extract the vessel from the sand bank and ascertain the damage to the ship and its cargo. An early attempt to free the ship with tugboats failed, meaning that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency may have to wait until more favorable high tides to try again before towing the ship back into the port. Bramble Bank, where the vessel was run aground, is a well-known obstacle to maritime navigators. The Queen Elizabeth 2 ran aground there in November 2008 with 1,700 passengers on board, but was quickly freed by four tugboats and was able to continue on its way. Two local yacht clubs also play a cricket match there every year at low tide. The vessel's operator, Hoegh Autoliners, praised the skill and quick thinking of the crew in acting to prevent the ship's capsizing by running her aground on the soft, sandy shoal. Watch the clip below for aerial footage of the beached ship, courtesy of the BBC. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost has a fascinating new part to make it one of the most comfortable cars in the world

One of the neat things about Rolls-Royce is the extraordinary lengths the company will go to for maximum comfort. It's like how supercar builders will look for every little advantage to make their cars a tenth of a second faster. On the 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost, the company is employing something called the Planar Suspension System, a nebulous designation for the collection of systems and parts employed. Some are straight forward, such as the four-wheel independent air suspension, and the way the GPS and forward cameras inform what level of firmness should be employed on the road. But one part left us perplexed: the upper control arm damper. We spoke to Jon Simms, lead engineer for the Ghost, for more information, and now we have a better grasp on what it is and what it does. As for what it is, it's the roughly horseshoe-shaped object highlighted in purple in the above photo. The yellow parts are bumpstops, and it's mounted on the same joint as the upper control arm. And it turns out it's a pretty simple piece of equipment. It works very much like the harmonic balancer on the end of an engine. It's a weight with a rubber-y flexible hinge, and going over smaller bumps, it absorbs some of the extra vibration and movement from the suspension. Those bumpstops in yellow give the damper some extra purchase on the control arm, and they absorb impacts from larger bumps that may move the control arm suddenly so that the arm and damper don't bang into each other. This may seem like a pretty minor thing, but remember, Rolls-Royce and its buyers are out for maximum comfort, so there's reason to invest in ironing out every possible ride quality issue, no matter the size. And even if it's a minor improvement, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Simms told us that existing Ghost customers they talked to during development had one key request about the driving experience: "don't break it." So making sure that the new car was basically like the last one, but a bit better, would seem to be what customers would want. 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost View 29 Photos The Ghost is the first Rolls-Royce to adopt this full suite of Planar Suspension System parts, though other Rolls-Royce models have had pieces of the system. And considering the fact the Ghost shares its platform with the Phantom and Cullinan, now, we wouldn't be surprised if later versions of those models pick-up parts like this damper. Related Video: