Brabus 850 Biturbo – 217mph coupe to make Geneva debut
German tuner to field 838-horsepower monster at the Swiss show
Brabus has a long and illustrious history of taking already-potent Mercedes-Benz and turning them into truly ballistic coupes and saloons.
Way back in evo 005, we tested the Brabus EV12 – a V12-engined E-class with 574bhp and more accelerative pace than a Ferrari F40.
The power race has gone stratospheric since. At the 2015 Geneva motor show, Brabus will field the 850 6.0 Biturbo Coupe – an 838bhp, 217mph reworking of the Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG.
Even more staggering is the car’s torque figure. The 5912cc, twin-turbocharged V8, honed with a new crankshaft, enlarged cylinder bores, larger forged pistons and new turbochargers, develops 1069lb ft between 2500-4500rpm.
Okay, so that’s a maximum figure for the engine – in reality, the 850 Biturbo is limited to ‘only’ 848lb ft ‘in the interest of the longevity of the entire powertrain’.
The engine’s torque is sent through all four wheels, though potentially unwisely a rear-drive variant is still available. Drivers can shift manually through a pair of aluminium Brabus paddle shifters on the reverse of the steering wheel.
Even with limited torque and the S-class coupe’s considerable bulk to overcome, 62mph arrives in 3.5 seconds and 124mph passes in 9.4sec. Tyres ultimately limit the car’s top speed of 217mph.
Where that EV12 originally tested by evo was relatively understated, there’s no such restraint for the 850’s styling.
The S 63 is already an aggressive-looking vehicle, enhanced here with a front carbonfibre spoiler, large air intakes in the front bumper, a carbonfibre diffuser at the rear (incorporating cutouts for the exhaust system) and vast 21-inch forged alloy wheels wrapped in 255/295 profile tyres front and rear. Suspension has been lowered 15mm compared to the standard car.
Inside, Brabus has gone to town with a full leather retrim, copper-cloured seams and similarly-coloured piping. A full complement of switches and accents – 219 of them – have also been replaced, colour-matched to the same Shadow Gold tone as the 21-inch alloys. Carbonfibre, aluminium and Alcantara also features heavily throughout the cabin.
The Brabus 850 6.0 Biturbo Coupe will make its international debut at the 2015 Geneva motor show.
