2010 Brabus E V12 Coupe - Auto Shows
Brabus builds a 788-hp, 1047-lb-ft demon chariot based on the Mercedes-Benz E-class coupe.
BY ERIK JOHNSON, PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER BURN AND THE MANUFACTURER
March 2010
Excepting AMG, Mercedes’ in-house steroid broker, Brabus is probably the best-known of those who tinker with M-B products. In a nutshell, the Bottrop, Germany–based tuner takes typically mild Mercedes-Benz models—such as the C-, E-, and S-class; the G- and GL-class SUVs; and more—and turns them into something entirely different, something waaay beyond where warranty and cost concerns allow AMG to go. For proof, we submit the E V12 coupe.
The recipe for the E V12 coupe is essentially the same as the one followed to create the E V12 sedan: Take Mercedes’ 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-12 from the S600; enlarge it to 6.3 liters by widening the bore, sliding in new pistons, and popping in a new crankshaft; stir in a unique intake system and new camshafts; and then stuff the thing into an E-class coupe. The result is a 788-hp, 1047-lb-ft Höllenhund that Brabus says will rip and snort its way from 0 to 62 mph in 3.7 seconds, from 0 to 124 mph in 9.9 seconds, and from 0 to 186 mph in 23.9 seconds. Top speed is limited to 217 mph, but the car is capable, the company says, of 230-plus.
The car’s exterior modifications are just as eye-popping as all of that numerical ridiculousness. As blacked-out as possible without actually being a power outage, the E V12 coupe gets a wicked body kit that tacks on carbon-fiber front fender bits, carbon-fiber rear fender flares—the better to cover the necessary wider rear rubber—a carbon-fiber rear diffuser, and a rear spoiler that Brabus says is “essential for well-balanced aerodynamics at high speed.” The interior sees illuminated sill plates, carbon-fiber trim all over the place, and a new steering wheel.
The price? Well, if you’re interested you shouldn’t even need to ask, but here it is: €478,000, or roughly 655 large. If your telecom portfolio took a dive this quarter and you need to scrimp a bit, or if you just like the paramilitary look, you could go for the G V12 Biturbo. That truck, a radical take on the ass-kicking G-wagen that gets a 690-horse version of the E V12’s engine, costs a mere €394,900, or $540,000. Since it’s not our wallet, we recommend you get both.
Edit: This is the original.
Brabus builds a 788-hp, 1047-lb-ft demon chariot based on the Mercedes-Benz E-class coupe.
BY ERIK JOHNSON, PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER BURN AND THE MANUFACTURER
March 2010
Excepting AMG, Mercedes’ in-house steroid broker, Brabus is probably the best-known of those who tinker with M-B products. In a nutshell, the Bottrop, Germany–based tuner takes typically mild Mercedes-Benz models—such as the C-, E-, and S-class; the G- and GL-class SUVs; and more—and turns them into something entirely different, something waaay beyond where warranty and cost concerns allow AMG to go. For proof, we submit the E V12 coupe.
The recipe for the E V12 coupe is essentially the same as the one followed to create the E V12 sedan: Take Mercedes’ 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-12 from the S600; enlarge it to 6.3 liters by widening the bore, sliding in new pistons, and popping in a new crankshaft; stir in a unique intake system and new camshafts; and then stuff the thing into an E-class coupe. The result is a 788-hp, 1047-lb-ft Höllenhund that Brabus says will rip and snort its way from 0 to 62 mph in 3.7 seconds, from 0 to 124 mph in 9.9 seconds, and from 0 to 186 mph in 23.9 seconds. Top speed is limited to 217 mph, but the car is capable, the company says, of 230-plus.
The car’s exterior modifications are just as eye-popping as all of that numerical ridiculousness. As blacked-out as possible without actually being a power outage, the E V12 coupe gets a wicked body kit that tacks on carbon-fiber front fender bits, carbon-fiber rear fender flares—the better to cover the necessary wider rear rubber—a carbon-fiber rear diffuser, and a rear spoiler that Brabus says is “essential for well-balanced aerodynamics at high speed.” The interior sees illuminated sill plates, carbon-fiber trim all over the place, and a new steering wheel.
The price? Well, if you’re interested you shouldn’t even need to ask, but here it is: €478,000, or roughly 655 large. If your telecom portfolio took a dive this quarter and you need to scrimp a bit, or if you just like the paramilitary look, you could go for the G V12 Biturbo. That truck, a radical take on the ass-kicking G-wagen that gets a 690-horse version of the E V12’s engine, costs a mere €394,900, or $540,000. Since it’s not our wallet, we recommend you get both.
Edit: This is the original.
