There aren’t many automotive gatherings fairly just like the Rolls-Royce House owners Membership annual meet—and that’s a part of its appeal. Intimate and private, it’s much less in regards to the spectacle and extra in regards to the tales, the folks, and the deeply bespoke machines that convey them collectively. This 12 months, the occasion was hosted on the serene Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs. However earlier than becoming a member of the concours festivities, we had been invited by Rolls-Royce North America to expertise their newest creations—the up to date Ghost Sequence II and Cullinan Sequence II—on a spirited drive to the summit of Pikes Peak. It was a becoming reminder that on this planet of Rolls-Royce, the journey itself is the vacation spot.
To grasp what this weekend represented, you need to perceive what it means to personal a Rolls-Royce. It’s not merely about transportation. It’s about timeless presence. About commanding a room—or a street—with out saying a phrase. These are automobiles that talk in whispers, not shouts. Their worth isn’t measured in lap occasions or acceleration charts, however in how they make you are feeling when the world round you slows down.
A Weekend within the World of Rolls-Royce
From the second you arrive on the House owners Membership gathering, it’s clear you’ve entered one other world. There aren’t any boundaries. No velvet ropes or flashbulbs. Simply house owners and their households sharing tales—about bespoke builds, cross-country excursions, and the relationships they’ve constructed with their Rolls-Royce advisors, designers, and chauffeurs. You shortly notice that being a Rolls-Royce proprietor isn’t a standing image—it’s a life-style that celebrates artistry, individuality, and the pursuit of easy luxurious.
The resort itself was the best canvas for this gathering. Nestled on the foot of the Rockies, Cheyenne Mountain Resort has an important golf course the place the Rolls-Royce discovered a house for the weekend.
The Highway to Pikes Peak
The spotlight of the weekend was not a gala or backyard celebration—however quite a 14,000-foot ascent to one of the crucial iconic peaks in North America. For Rolls-Royce, this wasn’t only a scenic drive—it was a proving floor. As a result of whereas most SUVs and luxurious sedans draw back from twisty switchbacks and dramatic elevation modifications, the Ghost and Cullinan embraced them with grace.
Rolling out within the Ghost Sequence II, completed in a shocking dual-tone of Jubilee Silver and Blue, we instantly seen the enhancements that set it aside from its predecessor. A cleaner, extra sculpted entrance fascia, with redesigned headlamps and the now-iconic illuminated Pantheon grille, units the tone for an expertise that’s as trendy as it’s majestic.
And but, it’s what lies beneath the floor that defines the Ghost. The 6.75-liter twin-turbo V12 hums quietly—producing 563 horsepower (or 591 within the Black Badge)—however not often calls consideration to itself. As an alternative, it’s the Planar Suspension System, developed over ten years, that steals the present. The system’s predictive know-how reads the street forward, adjusts the chassis in real-time, and permits this 5,600-pound saloon to drift up the mountain like a spirit on air. The expertise isn’t simply silent—it’s transcendent.
The Spirit of the SUV: Cullinan Sequence II
But when the Ghost is grace, the Cullinan is presence. Our Twilight Purple Cullinan Sequence II stood out even amongst a sea of extraordinary equipment. With its matching Duality Twill inside, the cabin felt like a non-public artwork gallery curated in lavender tones. The brand new pillar-to-pillar glass panel spans the dashboard, echoing the digital interface launched within the all-electric Spectre and now making its means throughout the lineup. It’s intuitive and stylish, mixing know-how into craftsmanship with out compromise.
The Cullinan stays the benchmark for what a luxurious SUV will be. It rides on a basis of pure magic—self-leveling air suspension, repeatedly adjusting shock absorbers, road-scanning cameras, and lively anti-roll bars—all of which mix to ship the model’s signature Magic Carpet Journey. There’s merely no different automobile that glides over mountain roads with such poise. The journey is so composed, actually, that even passengers liable to automotive illness discover themselves having fun with the ascent with a flute of champagne in hand.
And that is no chauffeur’s automotive—although many patrons actually have one. Rolls-Royce says greater than 90% of Cullinan prospects take the wheel themselves at the very least a part of the time. And good on them, as a result of to pilot a Cullinan is to know the poetry of energy and management, redefined.
A Cabin Past Evaluate
Luxurious in a Rolls-Royce will not be about flashy options—it’s about craftsmanship which you can see, contact, and listen to. Or not hear. That is, in any case, the quietest SUV in the marketplace. Occupants within the Cullinan can toggle between near-total silence and a 1,400-watt, 18-speaker Bespoke Audio expertise that makes use of the aluminum physique cavities as resonators for wealthy, spatial sound.
It’s not simply the journey that’s otherworldly—it’s the house itself. New inside supplies like gray-stained ash wooden, cloud-patterned perforated leather-based, and the now-standard rear leisure upgrades remodel the Cullinan right into a rolling sanctuary. And sure, there’s nonetheless the umbrella within the door. Essentially the most luxurious umbrella you’ll ever use.
Beginning at $410,350, the Cullinan doesn’t come low-cost—however for a lot of house owners, the worth is just the start. With the Black Badge mannequin providing a bump in energy and a darker, edgier aesthetic, it’s a straightforward “sure” for these already within the sport.
Reimagining the Ghost
Again within the Ghost, the duality of modernity and custom continues to impress. Inside, the brand new Spirit working system and digital cluster will be custom-made to match the automotive’s shade palette. From the Serenity Seating to the Capturing Star Headliner, that is greater than a automotive—it’s a cellular escape. For Black Badge prospects, the enhancements are greater than aesthetic. The suspension is firmer, the throttle sharper, and the ZF 8-speed transmission’s Low Mode provides a throatier soundtrack and longer gear holds for individuals who desire a bit extra drama of their drive.
What struck us most in regards to the Ghost wasn’t simply its class—however its confidence. It doesn’t should show something. It merely is. If you drive it up a mountain, it does so with composure. If you cruise via city, folks cease—not out of envy, however respect. The Ghost honors its identify. It seems, it strikes, and it vanishes once more.
The Luxurious of the Journey
In most automobiles, we obsess over the vacation spot. However in a Rolls-Royce, the vacation spot is nearly irrelevant. Each mile is an expertise. Each cease turns into a photograph alternative. Each second within the cabin turns into a part of the story. And that’s precisely what this weekend was—a reminder that luxurious, true luxurious, isn’t about extra. It’s about expertise. It’s about time, consideration, and tranquility.
Driving up Pikes Peak in a Rolls-Royce is a second few will neglect. Not due to the horsepower. Not due to the tech. However due to the way it made us really feel. Related, calm, and quietly captivated.
That, above all else, is the Rolls-Royce means.
