This week is a short week (Labor Day), and corporate taxes are due, so I thought I’d share a quick story with you that was inspired by the Rolls Royce SUV. If you’re not a car person, you may not even know such a thing exists.
Indeed, when I saw it for the first time, I got a little worried for our culture because, while this amazing vehicle is highly-desired in certain parts of the world, it feels like we’ve swung the car design pendulum a bit too far in the conspicuous consumption direction.
But far be it from me to judge anyone from owning one. As my hubby used to say: “There’s an ass for every saddle.”
The subject of the RR Cullinan came up in two conversations I had this week. People didn’t believe me when I said it was true, that there is a Rolls SUV. I texted them a link so they could see it for themselves.
While searching for the best link, I came across this specimen that is for sale: 2024 Rolls-Royce Black Badge Cullinan
This model is more expensive than the “regular” Cullinan because the Cullinan Black Badge is a more powerful, sportier, and customized version of the standard Cullinan SUV. The Black Badge typically starts at around $453,000 MSRP compared to the Cullinan’s starting price of around $391,000 MSRP. Ok, back to my story.
As fate would have it, I noticed the red brick on the building behind the vehicle and immediately recognized it as a dealership that was part of a group I once managed in Beverly Hills in the 90s. That Rolls store was an interesting place as the clientele were very unique. We would sometimes have customers write personal checks for their car purchase. You know, the small personal checks like you or I would write, except their checks were for six or seven figures.
But the weirdest story I have out of that store is that OJ Simpson was our customer. He had been buying white convertible Bentleys for years from us. When he called and said he wanted two white Ford Broncos, we were easily able to accommodate his request because we had a Ford store within the group. He bought one for Paula (his girlfriend) and one for AC Cowlings, although AC might have paid for his himself, I can’t remember.
That earth-shaking day, June 17, 1994, I left work to join my hubby for an early dinner so we could watch the NBA finals. We met at our favorite restaurant in the Valley: Rive Gauche, (sadly, they closed in 2017). We were sitting at our table and and there were TVs on all over the dining room with the NBA game on.
We had just ordered and people were suddenly pointing at the TVs. I quickly looked up at a screen to see a KTLA breaking news report. It was a white Bronco driving down the 405 with lit-up police cars following it. KTLA said, “OJ Simpson on the run on the 405.”
Things quickly registered in my head and I shouted, “Oh my gosh, that’s the Bronco we sold him!”
As the saying goes, “Only in the car business.”
All these years later, those murders are still just so shockingly heinous and it was heartbreaking to watch the Browns and the Goldmans go through so much everyday. RIP Nicole. RIP Ron.
Most everyone in Los Angeles had been captivated, worried, and sad about all of it. I used to drive past Nicole’s house on my way to work, for goodness sakes.
18 months later, on October 3, 1995, when the verdict was scheduled to be read, all of us were in the dealership showroom watching it on TV. My hubby had suddenly passed away in April 1995, so it’s safe to say I was red-lining it by October. I ended up taking many months off to deal with it all.
But everyone working at the Rolls store who had anything to do with the sale of those two Broncos, will likely never forget that day watching one of them traveling down the 405.
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