Diamond in the Rough: The Final Challenge with Cory Richards
Standing on top of a snowy peak in Scotland, the new Rolls-Royce Cullinan has already started to make its impression on Cory Richards, National Geographic photographer and 2012 Adventurer of the Year.
Several years ago, Rolls-Royce announced it would create a mold-breaking SUV that would make luxury travel effortless, everywhere. Now here, the much anticipated new Rolls-Royce Cullinan has embarked on one Final Challenge to test it to the limit.
“There’s always incredible value in pushing ourselves beyond what we believe is possible.” – Cory Richards, National Geographic Adventurer
The Final Challenge began in the Highlands of Scotland, has continued its adventure through the arid deserts of the Middle East and is now facing the toughest terrains in the United States. The melange of absolute luxury and the harshest environments creates a beautiful melting pot of encounters on each step of the journey.
The Final Challenge proves Cullinan as Effortless Everywhere whilst embodying all the values and capabilities that drove Rolls-Royce’s two founding fathers, the Honourable Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce, to secure the marque’s reputation early last century, as they took top honors in rigorous public adventures such as the Scottish Reliability Trials, the London-to-Edinburgh Event and the Alpine Trials.
Before starting this journey, Cory packed 35 mm and 55 mm lenses for his medium format camera in order to capture stunning landscapes along the way. He is also equipped with a rangefinder camera and 35mm f 2.0 lens. For location lighting, Cory uses portable off-camera mono lights.
The attention to detail is evident in every step of the journey – the pursuit of perfection speaks of endurance, absolute solidity in the face of the greatest pressures and absolute luxury given the rarity of experience and moment that this journey encounters.
“There’s a juxtaposition here, because the landscape is so infinitely rugged and yet the journey feels so effortless.” – Cory Richards, National Geographic Adventurer
Different driving modes have been key to the successful feats that Rolls-Royce Cullinan has achieved thus far – the off-road capability of the motor car coupled with the knowledge of the local scouts in the moors of Scotland were essential to the epic mountain climb and navigation of the deepest rivers. Meanwhile, Dunes provided a completely different set of tasks for Cullinan, where the reactive air-suspension matched with the trained eye of Marshal quickly delighted in the magic carpet ride of a Rolls-Royce, delivering Cory and the crew through to their next challenge.
Many more challenges lie ahead. To follow Rolls-Royce Cullinan on this epic journey, visit the Rolls-Royce Cullinan’s Final Challenge on www.nationalgeographic.com/rollsroycecullinan, as well as on Rolls-Royce social media accounts and www.Rolls-RoyceMotorCars.com.
