Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has officially launched the Black Badge Cullinan by Cyril Kongo project, a transdisciplinary collaboration that merges ultra-luxury automotive engineering with fine art. Fully embedded within the brand's Bespoke Collective team of designers, engineers, and craftspeople at the Home of Rolls-Royce, multi-disciplinary artist Cyril Kongo participated in every stage of development, from initial concept to execution. Limited to just five units worldwide—all of which have been allocated to global collectors—each vehicle serves as a unique canvas displaying a distinct interpretation of the artist's visual vocabulary.
Infusing the "Kongoverse" Into Premium Automotive Interiors
For this project, Cyril Kongo brought his signature aesthetic realm, dubbed the "Kongoverse", a visual space filled with fantasy, mathematical formulas, quantum physics equations, and geometric symbols, directly into the interior layout of the luxury SUV. Working within a specialized studio space created for him at the manufacturing facility, Kongo hand-painted a Bespoke wooden set comprising the fascia, center console, picnic tables, and the vertical center panel between the rear seats, forming a continuous artistic narrative inside the cabin.
Reflecting on the collaborative creation process and the dialogue between his visual language and the brand's artisanal philosophy, Cyril Kongo stated:
This world is a space of fantasy, mathematical formulas, symbols, pyramids, atoms, and imaginary planets. Rolls-Royce embraced these ideas and gave them form; that is what made the project so special. This process was a dialogue between my visual language and Rolls-Royce’s approach to creation, with the car as the canvas. Bringing this to life alongside the brand's master craftspeople was an extraordinary experience.
Starlight Headliner Engineering and Pioneering Gradient Applications
The focal point of the interior transformation is the hand-painted Starlight Headliner. Utilizing a palette of over 70 custom colors prepared by the Interior Surface Centre, Kongo depicted celestial constellations interwoven with equations, a theme inspired by his shared studio work with his physicist brother. Following the painting process, the artist collaborated with Bespoke engineers to map the precise placement of 1,344 fiber-optic 'stars', which were hand-perforated and fitted by technical specialists. The configuration includes eight shooting stars and a final, full-length boundary star executed for the first time in Rolls-Royce history.
The exterior of the motor car showcases further technical milestones for the brand. Finished in a rich Blue Crystal Over Black hue, each vehicle features a split Gradient Coachline, transitioning from Phoenix Red to Forge Yellow on the left profile, and Mandarin to Turchese on the right profile. In another brand first, the 23-inch Part Polished Black Badge alloy wheels house four differently colored brake calipers, matching the distinct color coding assigned to the four individual seating zones within the cabin.
"A Manifestation of Deep Strategic Investment"
Phil Fabre de la Grange, Head of Bespoke at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, emphasized the operational integration that allowed the artist's spontaneous creative methodology to thrive within an industrial environment:
Kongo met with our experts and craftspeople; we placed our techniques and our entire paint palette at his disposal. We set up dedicated working spaces within our Bespoke facilities. This fully integrated, in-house approach allowed Cyril the freedom to explore his vision in the moment, ensuring we stayed true to the spontaneous nature of his art. It fostered a shared spirit of curiosity and creative confidence.
Domagoj Dukec, Director of Design at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, highlighted that the project was curated via the brand's Private Office network in Seoul and New York. This global studio footprint provided critical cultural insights into the desires of contemporary art collectors, aligning their taste for bold expressions with the alternative persona of the Black Badge series.
Industrial Milestones and Technical Specifications
Black Badge 10th Anniversary: This limited series marks the 10th anniversary of the Black Badge line’s introduction, serving as a primary creative milestone for the portfolio in 2026.
Surface Protection Engineering: To preserve the hand-painted wood veneers, specialists applied 10 layers of protective lacquer, followed by extensive sanding and polishing to achieve a high-gloss finish matching premium durability standards.
Segmented Color Coding: For the first time, the interior layout utilizes four independent color identities for its upholstery and stitching zones: Phoenix Red, Turchese, Forge Yellow, and Mandarin.
