THE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2011 - PrivatAir

abus is a Mercedes tuner in
much the same way as Fortnum
and Mason is a grocer and Krug
makes fi zzy wines. While the
company may tweak engines, its
services go far beyond simply
making cars go faster.
Th e company was born out of one man’s all-consuming
passion for driving fast cars. Bodo Buschmann’s father had a
Mercedes-Benz dealership, but while at university, the
young Buschmann developed a taste for sporty Porsches.
His father soon realised this did not refl ect well on his own
business and insisted his son drive a Mercedes. However,
back in the early 1970s, the company’s cars were closely
associated with taxis – hardly the stuff of a young car
enthusiast’s dreams. Faced with this bleak prospect, Bodo
did the only thing he could possibly do and made his
Mercedes more interesting. He began tuning his car and, as
others showed interest in what he was doing, he produced
tuning parts for them too. By the time he left university, the
tuning had turned into a business.
In essence, this is what the company still does, but in a
way the young Bodo might struggle to recognise. Nearly
four decades on from his fi rst youthful excursions into
tuning, Buschmann’s enthusiasm is undimmed but his
ambition has grown with the budgets of his customers.
Today the company has a
genius for making the
fast faster and the
exclusive unique. Th ere is
very little the company
will not attempt on your behalf. Whether you would like the
same leather in your S-Class as in your Ferrari or on your
wife’s favourite handbag, Brabus will deal with it. At its base
in Bottrop near Düsseldorf, Germany, the company has a
fully equipped trim shop staff ed by highly skilled and
experienced craftsmen and women who can tackle the
toughest of challenges. If you would like a particular style of
stitching, they will create it for you. If you want your initials
or family crest on the headrests, it will be done.
Every time a new Mercedes model is released, Brabus
creates a set of patterns from the interior that can be used to
craft entire new trim packages to suit the most whimsical of
tastes. But its off erings are not bound by an options list and,
if you want it, Brabus will endeavour to deliver it. As its
recent show car for the Geneva Motor Show illustrated,
there is very little its experts will not attempt. Th e vehicle
had mountings in the back for the Apple iPad and even
included the company’s own software to allow the iPad to
control the environment inside the car. It was proudly
advertised as ‘the fastest offi ce on the road’.
Thirty-Three
One of the company’s specialities is a reworked
Mercedes Viano people carrier, which it has transformed
into the most luxurious and well-equipped courtesy bus
possible. Regularly fi tted items include a pair of S-Class
seats, drinks cabinet, coff ee machine, 40-inch TV, Xbox
games console and Apple Mac Mini computer. But the
heart of the Brabus treatment is still tuning and this can
be as hot as the vehicle will stand while retaining the
original design’s standards of reliability and practicality.
Celebrated tweaks include the Brabus Bullit, which is
based on the Mercedes C-Class saloon, and the Rocket,
based on the CLS. Th e latter is ready an exciting model,
however the Brabus engineers have junked the engine and
replaced it with their own version of the Mercedes V12.
One engineer will spend 10 days building the engine up
from scratch. Its capacity is stretched to 6.3 litres and then
equipped with twin turbochargers made exclusively for
Brabus. Even the engine mounts have to be redesigned
and made from scratch to accommodate the turbo
installation. How much power it delivers depends on the
spec requested by the customer, but they can choose from
640bhp, 750bhp or 780bhp.
Cars like these are modifi ed way beyond their original
type approval. As well as the engine, Brabus totally
reengineers the suspension and brakes to give handling and
stopping power to match the straight-line performance.
After all this, Brabus
One engineer will spend 10 days
building the engine up from scratch
needs to rehomologate
their vehicles, that is
defi ne them offi cially as
new cars.
So what does a Brabus feel like from behind the wheel?
Whatever a supercar is, on fi rst acquaintance the Brabus
EV12 is surely not one. Its styling is far too discreet. It is no
more exciting-looking than an E-Class Mercedes, a bit
lower on the suspension, with tastier wheels and a few
subtle body bits on the nose and tail. Hardly a look that
makes jaws drop. Inside too, the car is easily accessible and
comfortable and – get this – you can see out.
Start up and the engine is quiet; OK there may be a bit
of an edge to the note, but nothing intrusive. It pulls away
progressively without faltering, and trickles into slow traffi c
completely at ease with itself. According to the Brabus man
with us in the passenger seat, this is the EV12 development
car which in its latest incarnation churns out 800bhp from
its twin-turbo V12. Numbers are one thing, but if the
company really delivers on its claims, stamping on the
right-hand pedal should produce a mind-blowing blur of
acceleration. Th e prospect seems unlikely but, clear road,
wheels straight, we give it a go. Whoa! One hundred
kilometres an hour fl ashes past in an instant and suddenly