For those occasions when 585hp/900Nm simply isn't enough for your Mercedes G-Wagen, then all hail German madhouse manufacturer Brabus, which has given us a G-Class with... ready for this? It has 900hp and 1,200Nm. Good GRIEF!
Bore and stroke increased
This show star, unveiled at the 2019 Frankfurt IAA, is known as the Brabus G V12 900 'One Of Ten'; that last bit of its honorific denotes that, yes, just ten examples of this lunatic 4x4 will be built. And there's a poignancy here, as 15 years ago at the Geneva Motor Show, Brabus first showed off a G-Class with a V12 rammed into its conk.
This time around, Brabus takes the 530hp, 6.0-litre V12 from a Mercedes S-Class and gives it a billet crankshaft with a longer stroke, while simultaneously boring out the cylinders. Forged pistons and precision-balanced con-rods complete the work here, which sees displacement rise to 6.3 litres. Brabus also takes the two Mercedes turbos and chucks them in the bin, replacing them with a bigger pair of 'snails' that run at a higher boost pressure.
Going back from there, downpipes with an 80mm-diameter, free-low metal cats and a stainless Brabus high-performance exhaust with active flaps allows easy breathing for that ridiculous nuclear powerplant of a motor. As on the G 63 AMG version, the Brabus G V12 900 has side-exits just ahead of the rear wheels, while intake is also handled as brilliantly as exhaust - the Brabus 900 intake module features a special filter box with a larger cross-section and special filters, as well as 'Gold Heat Reflection' treatment to lower the intake-air's temperature. Controlling all of this madness is a reprogrammed ECU.
Megalomania
Thus, the numbers the G V12 900 generates are, frankly, preposterous. It develops 900hp at 5,500rpm, while thumping out an enormous 1,500Nm at just 4,200rpm. Now, if you're thinking that's a typo on the torque, it isn't; this peak torque (which is 1,106lb ft) is simply too much for the poor G's drivetrain to handle, so it has to be limited to 1,200Nm (885lb ft) in the vehicle... which is still plenty enough.
Power goes to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission, and despite its weight, size and bluff aerodynamics, the performance is, um, brisk: 0-100km/h comes up in a mere 3.8 seconds and the top speed has to be limited to 280km/h. Brabus also says that, as it has fitted the G V12 900 with a wider track, Dynamic Ride Control and wheels of 23 or 24 inches in diameter (on colossally wide rubber), this G-Wagen has the handling chutzpah to go with its undoubted straight-line urge.
Wide Boy
Giving the G V12 900 its distinctive look is the Brabus Widestar body. This is what allows for the fitment of the company's Platinum Edition 23 or 24-inch wheels, and it's denoted by chunky wheel arches, an extra scoop on the bonnet and additional vents at the rear of the vehicle. Exposed carbon fibre can be spotted across the G V12's mighty frame, while there's even a spoiler perched up on top of the G-Class' roof.
Inside, Brabus' upholstery shop creates an exclusive all-leather interior for the 'One Of Ten' super-SUV. The show car is characterised by Porcelain and Saddle Brown leather, highlighted with orange piping. Shell-shaped quilting on the seats adds to the ambience, while the interiors of both the glove box and the centre-console storage compartment are lined with orange leather. The headlining is Alcantara and, mounted on the ceiling for the rear passengers' benefit (or otherwise, depending on the madness of the driver...), there are three analogue gauges that read out the vehicle's speed (it'll be high), the outside temperature and the time. Aluminium Brabus pedals and door pins, exposed-carbon scuff plates with a backlit 'Brabus' logo, and rear doors that now open 90-degrees to the body (to ease ingress and egress) complete the modifications for the G V12 900.
Wanna know the eco-stats and price? Well, all are eye-watering: at best, the G V12 is capable of 18.9 litres/100km (14.9mpg) combined with CO2 emissions of 433g/km, while the export price excluding VAT in Germany is... €605,055. YIKES!