Mercedes Sports Cars Salón de Londres Supercars Tuning

London Show 2008: BRABUS

Eduardo Mariz 29 July 2008 3 min.

BRABUS is a twist on what you considered physically the limit of what’s possible. Mercedes is not the only one surprised at how easily these people put a V12 into almost any model of the star; the rest of humanity, from afar, is too.

Their stand was just a few meters from that of the Stuttgart brand; without frills or flourishes, they placed on a white carpet most of the company’s relevant models. It is their square, cold and Germanic calling card, like a travelling salesman laying out his wares on a rug.

But BRABUS is anything but cheap and common. The novelty they brought to the London show, moreover, was a world premiere: the new SL class. Here is where jaws drop; let’s see, AMG gives this sports car 612 horsepower from a 6-litre V12 in the SL 65 AMG. Who wants more madness? Well, the answer still belongs to BRABUS with its customer base, since they add 730 horsepower to this new one.

1,320 Nm of torque and a top speed of 350 km/h. And yes, if the power figure sounded familiar, you’re on the right track; it’s the same SV12 Biturbo that nearly all the models mount. To give one more piece of data, it does 0-100 km/h in 4 seconds.

Honestly, I find that figure not very good (that’s what happens when you have little weight on the rear axle). For what you’re going to pay and for how much that engine is squeezed, it wouldn’t hurt to try to improve it, not to mention the enormous weight of the beast. In fact, a few meters further on stood the BULLIT BLACK ARROW, which with the same power cuts that time by 0.1 seconds, reaches 360 km/h and can get to 300 from a standstill in 24.5 seconds.

This one in particular is incredible. It’s hard to believe that such a monstrous engine found room in the engine bay of a C-Class, so much so that with the bonnet open, the rest of the car’s exotic and radical styling goes unnoticed by anyone present.

A few meters further on was another great name. The BRABUS ROCKET, a CLS fitted with the same engine as the previous ones; a 6.3-litre blessing that has made it the fastest production sedan approved for the road, capable of reaching 365 km/h.

Alongside the fastest office on wheels, the BRABUS SV12 S Biturbo, and the most radical ML, the D5 D6, the stand is completed with the Smart adding a red touch. Smart which, by the way, develops 110 horsepower with its three cylinders and dares to do 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds.

For more information, take a look at the BRABUS website; we’ll leave you with the gallery. Blink now, because afterwards it’ll be hard for you.