Brabus is one of those household names that, in the automotive world, doesn’t require explanation. Mere mention of the name is enough to make the person with whom you are conversing go, ‘oh yeah’. Formed nearly twenty-five years ago, the Ruhr-based company quickly gained infamy by taking the ethos of fellow Mercedes tuning arm AMG and feeding it a bonkers pill.
Take, for example, the Brabus Rocket. At the core was the C219, Mercedes’ follow-up to the highly successful E-Class executive coupe. Brabus replaced the Merc’s 5.5L with their own 6.2L V12, swapped this with that, attached that to this, closed the bonnet, and took a step back. In 2006, this new 365kmh powertrain, in the hands of the Italian police, set a new world speed record for a street-legal saloon car.
Then there was the recently released Brabus Mercedes SLS AMG 700. With the 6.2L V8 ‘only’ producing 563bhp, the new 690bhp monster – thanks to two turbo chargers eliminating any trace of lag – could hit 100kmh without breaking stride in 3.7s, and was only out of breath by 342kmh.
So focused is their high-performance objective that Brabus cars rarely give external aesthetic hints to the rampaging beast lurking within, save a company emblem here or there.
Of course, this doesn’t make the final package any cheaper. Though not on the company letterhead, the Brabus edict is rumoured to be, ‘if you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it’. The 700 Biturbo and 800 Limousine above, for example, would set you back €245,500 (1,181,995 AED) and € 207,000 (996,631 AED) respectively. Prices to make your eyes water, certainly, but machines to make your wish list garage nonetheless >>>
