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New Brabus 800 Is a Wolf in Sheep's Skin, Has More Torque Than a LaFerrari

If there's one thing I've learned about cars over the past two decades, it's the famous triangle that revolves around three key aspects: cheap, fast, reliable. And you know how that goes, you can only choose two. Because if it's cheap and fast it's not going to be reliable, and if it's fast and reliable, it's not going to be cheap.
Brabus 800 18 photos
Photo: Brabus
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That brings us to Brabus. You might think that you could be better off just buying a Mercedes-AMG and then upgrading it at one of your local tuners. But why go down the path of an almost certain headache when you can just call up the people at Brabus? Seemingly unlimited power and a warranty are the path toward an exclusive, fun, and worry-free driving experience.

The Bottrop-based, German tuners have just announced the launch of their new Brabus 800, which they have elegantly named a "wolf in sheep's clothing". The B800 is based on the 2021 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S facelift, and you'll understand the nickname just by looking at the pictures of it. Visually speaking this is nowhere near as flashy as a Lamborghini or a Ferrari, but sometimes it feels nice to fly under the radar.

And make no mistake, this car doesn't have wings per se, but you can tell it is going to be fast just by looking at its name. Because under the hood the standard twin-turbo V8 has been enhanced with a Brabus B40S-800 PowerXtra performance upgrade, which means that you'll be getting access to 800 horsepower, as opposed to the standard 612. Brabus points out that this upgrade provides "excellent performance delivery, flawless stability, and reliability".

Brabus 800
Photo: Brabus
You can choose to shift the nine-speed automatic gearbox yourself via the Brabus Race aluminum shift paddle, and you'll be happy to know that you'll only need 3 seconds to hit 62 mph (100 kph) from a standing start. If you need a benchmark, the Ferrari F8 Tributo is going to be just 0.1 seconds faster when conducting the same test. Brabus notes that their new creation comes with an electronically limited top speed of 186,41 mph (300 kph), and if you live in Germany you might get to test that claim as often as you can.

While this car does have a discreet, "coming home" mode, you might be tempted to switch it to "Race" mode every time you leave the neighborhood, so that you may enjoy the savage growl provided by the Brabus high-performance exhaust system that also has carbon tailpipes. Anyone with a keen eye will notice further carbon elements that provide, according to Brabus: "optimal aerodynamic balance, further downforce, and a sporty, elegant appearance".

No car would ever be complete without a nice set of wheels, and Brabus has equipped this vehicle with a set of high-tech, forged 21-inch Monoblock "Platinum Edition" Z Wheels, that have a ten-spoke design. As with any high-tech vehicle these days, this one comes with its own Brabus suspension module, and that means that the ride height can be adjusted by approximately 0.4 to 0.8 inches (ten to twenty millimeters) according to the driving mode of your choice.

Seeing that power is nothing without control, Brabus turned to their technology partners: Continental, Pirelli, and Yokohama for a set of high-performance tires, that come in 265/30 in the front and 305/25 in the rear. Seeing that the twin-turbo V8 is capable of delivering 737 lb-ft (1000 Nm) of torque, you're going to need as much grip as you can get, especially if you're in the mood for fun and games. And all this comes for €254,349 ($306,635). According to the official Brabus website, there's a U.S. dealer in Los Angeles, on McGaw Avenue!
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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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