By IOL Motoring Staff
Frankfurt motor show - Brabus can always be relied upon to come up with something outrageous - especially for this show, held almost in its own back yard - but, for sheer presence, this has got to be the biggest Brabus ever.
Take a deep breath and show some respect for the B63S-700 6x6 - a four-ton, six-wheeled, all-terrain monster capable of supercar performance. As in 0-100km/h in 7.4 seconds.
The basics are in fact quite straightforward; it's just the scale of the project that's a little daunting.
Brabus starts with a limited-edition Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6x6, drops in a 515kW Brabus-modified 5.5-litre Biturbo V8 feeding all six wheels via an AMG AMG SpeedShift Plus 7G-Tronic automatic transmission - and the rest just follows on from there.
SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER BOOST
The B63S - 700 upgrade kit is in fact the same as that offered for other AMG models with the 5.5-litre twin-turbo engine, using special Brabus turbos with bigger compressors, running significantly higher boost pressure, gold heat-reflective sheathing on the intake and charge-air pipes to keep the charge-air temperature down and high-performance metal catalysts with 75mm exhaust downpipes to reduce back pressure.
All of which boosts output from AMG's 400kW to 515kW at 5300 revs and from 760Nm to a stump-pulling 960Nm between 2000rpm and 4500rom. Top speed, however, has had to be electronically limited to 160km/h, due to the heavy-duty 37” off-road tyres.
The stainless-steel sports exhaust system, specially developed for the six-wheeler, has a butterfly valve, controlled from the dashboard that allows the driver to choose between a subtle 'Coming Home' note and a distinctly authoritative rumble in Sport mode; it also adds to the big beetle-crusher's visual presence a pair of striking dual side-pipes.
STRATEGIC VISUAL UPGRADE
A special front apron with built-in LED daytime running lights (that double as indicators) and gaping air-intakes for the radiators and cooling ducts replaces the standard bumper, while a chrome-plated custom grille and carbon-fibre bonnet scoop complement the mirror-polished bash-plate.
There's more of the light stuff covering the holes where the original indicators were, as well as the side-mirror housings.
The cabin is trimmed in red and black, in a mix of leather and alcantara, with contrast top-stitching on the leather floor covering and headliner. Each door-sill boasts a stainless-steel scuff-plate with backlit Brabus logo, while standard parts such as pedals and door-lock pins have been replaced by custom-made aluminium components.