Rolls-Royce "The Pearl Cullinan", the exclusive gift from a son to his father for his birthday

There is nothing like showing our parents the love we feel for them, and if you also have the money to spare, it will undoubtedly be much easier, because you can give them whatever you fancy, like this son and client of Rolls-Royce who came up with the idea of giving his father a one-off from the Goodwood brand for his ninetieth birthday.

This project was born in early 2022 as a commission from a client in the Middle East and, after almost two years of work, it has finally been presented. It is based on the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and also serves as the first “bespoke” project of Private Office Dubai, which, together with associated local dealers, wants to bring the full Rolls-Royce experience to clients in the Middle East and Africa.

The Rolls-Royce “The Pearl Cullinan”, as you can imagine from its name, takes pearls as the inspiration for its exclusive design. Pearls form when molluscs coat a foreign body that has entered their bodies with several layers of nacre over many years. This hard object, which can take on a multitude of colours, is highly prized and therefore valued, and it also forms part of this client’s collection, which served as the idea for this project.

The colour of the most prized pearl in this client’s collection is precisely the one used as the reference to create the Pearl Rose colour for the bodywork of this Rolls-Royce, a colour that is unique and will never again be available to another client. The craftsman painters at Goodwood selected pigments to replicate the soft pink hue, which is very hard to find in natural pearls. The paint combines glossy and pearlescent effects, required more than 30 coats, and was tested to withstand heat and ultraviolet light throughout its service life.

The exterior styling is completed with other unique details, in which the Rose Gold paint, applied by hand, comes into play for the detailing line as well as rose gold, which has been used to plate the famous Rolls-Royce “Spirit of Ecstasy” logo and is also applied to the sill finishers, which extend automatically when the doors are opened.

Inside the Rolls-Royce “The Pearl Cullinan” there is differentiation between the front and rear. The front seats, where this client’s father prefers to travel, are upholstered in leather in his favourite colour, Cashmere Grey, while the rear seats are upholstered in Ardent Red, a colour inspired by the material on which the pearls are displayed to clients. All of this is complemented by embroidery on the headrests: Rose Gold thread on the front and Grace White thread on the rear, with a design inspired by the symmetry of oyster shells and a precise 55º angle, exactly the same as used for the walnut wood inserts.

The inserts used on the dashboard feature a mother-of-pearl marquetry design inspired by Middle Eastern art, which also includes the word “father” in Arabic inlaid in stainless steel. Other unique details include the mother-of-pearl frame and central dial of the characteristic Rolls-Royce clock, together with the rose gold hands and face, and, never missing, the Starlight headliner, which depicts the same night sky that was above the place where the client’s father was born.

But a work as unique as this Rolls-Royce “The Pearl Cullinan” is not complete without delicate interior craftsmanship, which is reflected in the tables of the rear seats. Their surface features an elaborate circular pattern, also inspired by traditional Arabic art, made up of 1,351 mother-of-pearl pieces inlaid into the walnut wood panels and sealed with clear lacquer.