BRABUS

About

The story of Brabus starts in 1977 with Bodo Buschmann. Based in Bottrop, Germany, Buschmann owned a Porsche 911, only to anger his father when it appeared outside of his prestigious Mercedes-Benz dealership. Unless he started driving a Mercedes, he was refused a parking space, so the 911 was sold and replaced with a W116 S-Class.

Buschmann missed the excitement from the 911, so set to modify and tune his S-Class to match. This personal project attracted the attention of others with similar goals, leading Buschmann to sense the business potential.

Contemporary German laws required two directors to start a business, so Buschmann partnered with Klaus Brackman, combining their names to create ‘BRABUS’. Brackman later sold his stake, however.

Originally, BRABUS solely focussed on enhancing Mercedes-Benz products through body kits, engine upgrades and fully custom interiors. One of their first major successes came from the 190 E, where they swapped the four-cylinder for a 5.0-litre V8, resulting in a car faster accelerating than even the 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II.

The 1990s saw BRABUS’ rise to international stardom with the 500 E and its shoehorned 6.9-litre V12. It also saw the release of the company’s first record-breaking cars including the E V12, a W210 E-Class capable of 191 mph (307 km/h) and then the world’s fastest four-door saloon.

Over the next decade, BRABUS established itself as the pinnacle of Mercedes-Benz tuning. The iconic G-Wagon became a staple of their lineup, with 2004’s G V12 producing over 600 horsepower. BRABUS continued to refine it, offering multiple variants including the 700, 800 and G V12 900, a car which added the V12 back into a G-Wagon after AMG discontinued it.

BRABUS’ success with the G-Wagon was mirrored across the remainder of the Mercedes-Benz lineup. The CL-Class, S-Class and SL-Class all became targets for their gargantuan V12 engines, a notable example being the Rocket 800, which reclaimed the world’s fastest saloon title with a top speed of 227 mph (365 km/h).

Today, BRABUS is one of the most recognised names in the tuning world. While they continue to defy the odds with extreme power upgrades for modern Mercedes-AMG vehicles, their portfolio has expanded. BRABUS now tune and customise a variety of vehicles from other marques including Porsche, Rolls-Royce and Land Rover. They also offer armoured vehicles, catering to clients who need the ultimate combination of luxury, performance and security, and vehicle restorations for classic Mercedes-Benz models.

BRABUS still mains in the private ownership of the Buschmann family.

(In collaboration with @Niklayem)