FRANKFURT 2011: BRABUS DROPS 800HP BOMB

Tuning specialist BRABUS is known for creating the most insatiable rubber-studded monsters on the roads. With this Mercedes-Benz CLS 63-based 4-door coupe, the company is proving it still has the right stuff. Somewhat. Why the hesitation? You’ll get to understand when you read the performance statistics.

Instead of keeping the 5.5-litre twin turbo as is, BRABUS engineers saw it fit to increase capacity to 6.3-litres, while at the same time reworking some of the components, including redesigning the turbos and ECU (electronic control units).

The result is a catastrophic 588kW (equivalent to four Golf 5 GTIs or 800hp) at 5500rpm, with the ability of 1420Nm of torque from 2100rpm. The latter is electronically limited to 1100Nm though. A limited slip differential (LSD) is fitted, although it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference because the 0 – 100km time of 3.7 seconds is slower than Porsche’s 911 Turbo S, which does that in 3.3 seconds. Turbo S only produces 390kW. “Only”. Top speed is over 370km/h, making it the fastest road-legal sedan in the world.

But it’s such a cool car that all that means very little when you look at it. Those chiselled fenders, the menacing front grille with a bumper that seems to come out on its own, air vents, rear spoiler and 19-inch wheels provide enough drama to satisfy even fans of Isidingo.