AMG is well known as the in-house performance brand of Mercedes. However, before being bought by Mercedes-Benz in 1999, it operated as an independent tuning company like Brabas.
Brabus has remained independent, and arguably more so than the current AMG model. More recently, brand independence has given it the flexibility to change not only Mercedes-Benz models, but also other brand vehicles such as Porsche, Rolls-Royce and Smart.
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Bobo Bushman
Company overview and brief history
Brabas was founded in 1977 by Bodo Bushman and his university friend, Klaus Brackman, the company name was a combination of their titles. Born in the small town of Buttrop near the West German city of Essen, Bushman was the son of a local Mercedes-Benz dealer, but personally owned a Porsche 911.
As the story goes, Bushman’s father was frustrated that his son often parked his Porsche next to various Mercedes models at the dealership and asked him to buy a more suitable Mercedes instead. When Bushman complies with the 911 Swap for a W116 S-Class, he misses the handling and maneuverability of his Porsche.
As Mercedes-Benz was a strong comfort-oriented brand at the time, he began to refine enough to improve the performance of his new S-Class to a level that matched that of Porsche. Instead, it has attracted potential customers to the dealership.
Some of these clients decided to give Bushman their own car and, impressed by the results, gave him the confidence to start his own company. Generously, Bushman’s father left half of his dealership area to allow his son to set up a workshop behind the dealership.
Bushman has expanded the range of Mercedes-Benz products that he can change beyond the S-Class, even getting smaller models such as the 190E (C-Class predecessor) Brabus treated.
Under the Brabus camouflage, the 190E was upgraded directly from the S-Class range with everything from a 5.0-liter V8, the Brabus 190E 3.6S has an annoying 3.6-liter engine that can accelerate the car from 0-100 km / h. h in just 6.3 seconds.
As Hertz ordered a special Mustang for his fleet, the German rental car company Sixt Brabas was so impressed with the 190E performance that it ordered 200 examples in 1984. Brabas was on the verge of moving to a new premises and expanding it to a dedicated building. Factory
Today, Brabus is arguably the largest independent tuning company that specializes in Mercedes-Benz cars, and probably one of the largest tuning houses. Claiming to be active in more than 100 countries, Brabus employs around 3,000 people worldwide and has a manufacturing footprint in Germany consisting of five factories.
Although Brabus models often get headlines and attention for their incredible power figures and performance, today the transformation of their standard Mercedes models extends to customizing interior components as well. The brand claims that each made car can have an interior design to the buyer’s liking, including the application of a stained glass to various switches and trim components, as well as upgraded leather and other interior furnishing options.
Through its Startech subsidiary, Brabus offers changes for various brands such as Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, Bentley, Maestro and Tesla.
In addition, Brabas maintains a ‘Six-Star’ classic recovery service for older Mercedes-Benz models such as the classic 280SL ‘Pagoda’ and 300SL Glowing Coupe and Roadster.
For VIPs, the company also offers an armored version of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class 4 × 4, known as the ‘Invicto’, certified to the VR6 Plus ERV standard.
Famous Brabas model
Brabus occupies a rare status in the automotive world, and with the possibility of customizing each car according to the buyer’s choice, reasonably all Brabus go special.
Probably one of the more famous models made by Bottrop based tuner is the original Brabus CLS V12 S rocket sedan. Debuting at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2005, Brabus replaced its 6.3-liter twin-turbo V12, producing 537kW of power and 1320 Nm of torque (electrically limited to 1100Nm to protect drivetrains), in the original Mercen-B. CLS
Its sprint time was 0-100km / h with only 4.0 seconds and, perhaps more impressively, a top speed was electronically limited to 350km / h, but the track was tested at 362km / h with the speed limit removed.
This made the Brabus rocket the fastest car with four doors on launch. Interestingly, Brabas also created a police version for the German Federal Ministry of Traffic’s ‘Tune It Safe!’ The program is designed to promote safe and legal tuning practices.
One model that Bravas particularly likes to tinker with is the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and Tuner has created a variety of models. Most recently, Brabus created the ‘900 Rocket Edition’, its most powerful G-Class modification yet.
Just 25 examples were made, the 900 rocket version using the 4.5-liter twin-turbo V8, which now produces 662kW of power and 1250Nm of torque, to accelerate the car from 0-100 km / h in just 3.7 seconds. The electronically limited maximum speed is 280 km / h.
Mercedes itself was on the verge of insanity when it unveiled the six-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6 × 6 in 2013 and took it one step further with the Brabus B63S-700 6 × 6.
Already featuring a powerful 400kW 5.5-liter V8 engine in the standard AMG format, Brabus has been able to operate it at 515kW, which reduced the 0-100 km / h acceleration figure in just 7.4 seconds – impressive for a car that weighs about four tons. Compromising with its impressive off-road power.
In the eyes of many, the 300SL Gullwing is the most beautiful Mercedes-Benz ever made, with its stunning doors and dramatic side vents. In 2018, Brabus set out to change the most specialized Mercedes that its employees have arguably created.
However, instead of replacing the engine or changing the lavish design or styling, the Brabas team began to restore the car to a brand new condition at the Concourse level to demonstrate the firm’s recovery skills.
A blank metal recovery, Brabas has reconstructed or replaced all electrical components and used advanced technology such as cataportic deep priming to guarantee rust protection.