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Supercar Blondie Checks Out Brabus Armored Mercedes-AMG G63 and G-Class

Brabus used to be known for tuning AMGs to make them faster than jets. But now, all their money comes from the Mercedes-AMG G63. And it was only a matter of time before armored luxury SUVs became part of their repertoire.
Supercar Blondie Checks Out Brabus Armored Mercedes-AMG G63 and G-Class 7 photos
Photo: Supercar Blondie/YouTube screenshot
Supercar Blondie Checks Out Brabus Armored Mercedes-AMG G63 and G-ClassSupercar Blondie Checks Out Brabus Armored Mercedes-AMG G63 and G-ClassSupercar Blondie Checks Out Brabus Armored Mercedes-AMG G63 and G-ClassSupercar Blondie Checks Out Brabus Armored Mercedes-AMG G63 and G-ClassSupercar Blondie Checks Out Brabus Armored Mercedes-AMG G63 and G-ClassSupercar Blondie Checks Out Brabus Armored Mercedes-AMG G63 and G-Class
Armored vehicles are intentionally understated, from the UK Prime Minister's long-wheelbase Jaguar XJ to the Cadillac the U.S. president uses. What if you're not afraid to show off your power but are scared of random plebs with a gun? You get this, obviously.

Of course, there's an actual armored G-Class patrol vehicle out there. But that makes you look like a try-hard. What you want is a Brabus Invicto, like the one Supercar Blondie recently reviewed.

The G-Monster has been fitted with VR6 ballistic protection of the same standard used to guard world leaders. Brabus and its partners used a combination of steel plates, metal composites, and fabrics that add about of weight 2,205 pounds (1,000 kilograms).

That's nothing for an armored vehicle, but it's a lot for a road car. So the Mercedes model needs added reinforcements for its frame and new shock absorbers, springs, and sway bars. Even the brakes have to be updated to a 402-mm rotor with six pistons at the front.

You can get these armored vehicles based on the G 550 or the hardcore G63. And even that powerhouse gets modified with a B40S-800 performance kit, taking the twin-turbo 4.0L V8 to 789 horsepower and 737 lb-ft of torque (1,000 Newton-meters) of torque. That's a lot, but the 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) sprint time of 8.2 seconds is perhaps a little underwhelming. The presenter doesn't put the acceleration to the test, but she does try some mildly aggressive cornering a beautiful Dubai marina parking lot. You can't have your armored cake and eat it too!

We've actually learned a lot from Supercar Blondie's review. The Invicto isn't gimmicky at all. For example, the trunk isn't full of champagne glasses and caviar. No, there are fire extinguishers and an air tank. And inside, the seats aren't your usual G63 luxury affair. Those are combat-tested seats. They may not look as cool as a blue leather Brabus interior, but their job is blast protection. There's also an escape hatch on the roof. An incognito version without the military features is available, which adds all the Brabus luxury leather you'd want.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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