Rolls-Royces are not known to go off-road. Well, we can’t recall many Rolls-Royces going out for adventure before the Cullinan was revealed. Now that there is an SUV in the English luxury automaker’s lineup, all of that has changed.
Our friends at Rolls-Royce of Beverly Hills recently took a Cullinan out for a trip, taking it across terrain that all the other Rolls-Royce models would not dare cross. Check out the full story and beautiful images below!
Article and Photos by Robert Grubbs of O’Gara Coach
Sun Valley, Idaho, made famous by the Iconic American author, is home to some of the most beautiful and rugged landscape in the country. Famous for not only its residents past and present, but for its world-class skiing. Rolls-Royce Beverly Hills recently took over the quiet mountain town with a pair of the most luxurious and capable SUV’s ever created: The Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
The purpose of our journey was to sponsor the Janss Pro-Am Ski competition with help from Rolls-Royce North America. The fun weekend of competition raises money for over 700 kids who participate in the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. Our presence gave locals and visitors alike the ability to drive the Cullinan in locations they would never think possible for a brand like Rolls-Royce. It also gave our photographer the chance to capture content not normally available in Southern California. Below are the highlights of our beautiful journey.
Sun Valley, specifically the Lodge, is a well-known residence for celebrities during the peak winter months. For this reason, the locals have seen their fair share of luxury cars, including Rolls-Royces. This vehicle, however, seemed to have quite the effect on the town. During our adventures shooting the Cullinan in and around downtown, every pedestrian and passerby gave the off-road Luxury Vehicle a long stare.
For our first two days, we wanted to photograph the Cullinan in a more lifestyle and luxury setting. To help with this we partnered with local Luxury Real Estate professionals, Katherine Rixon Rob Cronin. The first home felt like a modern mountain hideaway. The stone and rusted accents played as a perfect Backdrop for the Jubilee Silver high bodied vehicle. Once the rain and subsequent snow started it was time to call it a night and get an early start the next morning.
For day two, we would focus on the gorgeous Emerald Green Cullinan. For that, we decided to utilize one of the largest estates in all of Sun Valley. Off Greenhorn Road sits a truly unique yet classic estate. Designed to resemble something out of the Old West, this beautiful home gave the Dark Green vehicle the elegant look we were looking for. At over 19,000 square feet, there was no shortage of incredible angles to shoot the car from. We were even lucky enough for the sun to come out as the morning shoot wrapped.
That afternoon we decided to bring a bit of Beverly Hills Style and Panache to the snow, and do a lifestyle shoot with our very own Events Director, Gray.
Day three consisted of a late afternoon field trip to the famed Silver Spring Ranch. The picturesque land thirty miles south of Sun Valley where Hemingway was known to hunt, gave us the perfect opportunity to take the capable vehicle . Dirt, rock, mud, and snow; we drove through it all in the name of getting the perfect shot. As the sun got lower the drama went up. We finished the day with the Cullinan blasting through knee deep snow to achieve that elusive action shot we had yet to capture.
As the stage was set for the championship, the Cullinan greeted the competitors as they crossed the finish line. With its undeniable presence, it was an incredible sight at the base of the famed Warm Springs Mountain. Sun Valley is a very special place and while the end had to come, the journey was something we will never forget.