What's the news?
Brabus, that well known cabal of mentalist German car tuners, experts in taking various Mercedes models and making them 603 per cent more explosive, has really outdone itself for the Frankfurt motor show. It's made a G-Wagen (we refuse the acknowledge the tacked-on-later G-Class badge...) with 900hp. Yes, that's right - the motorised garden shed that is the G-Wagen with a Bugatti-bothering power output.
Just ten of these insane devices will be made, hence the One Of Ten name, and they all start life as a standard (if that's quite the right word) Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG V12. Brabus takes that already pretty amazing engine, bores it out to 6.3-litres, and installs a billet-steel crankshaft. There are also new forged pistons and more billet steel for the con-rods. The exhaust manifolds are modified, and special Brabus turbos replace the factory items, and there are bigger 80mm bore exhausts.
Air is fed to the engine through a new carbon scoop on the bonnet, and there's even McLaren-style gold-leaf heat protection for the hot spots. The upshot of all that is 900hp and 1,500Nm of torque. That adds up to a 0-100km/h time of just 3.9 seconds, and a top speed (electronically limited) of 270km/h.
To keep all that in check, Brabus has widened the G-Wagen's track by 120mm, to accommodate the massive 23-inch wheels. These 'Platinum Edition' wheels are shod with specially-made Yokohama tyres, and there are enormous 412mm vented and cross-drilled brake discs (which Brabus says are the largest brakes fitted to any SUV ever). There is also Brabus-designed 'Ride Control' suspension, with adjustable dampers developed for the car by Bilstein. The system is designed to switch, in milliseconds, between aggressively sporty and softly comfortable, depending on what you're up to.
In addition to one of the most overtly macho carbon bodykits ever fitted to any vehicle, Brabus has fitted signature exterior LED lighting to a roof-pod, which comes on with the high-beam headlamps.
Inside, there is a mix of black and white leather with red piping, and a starry-sky headliner filled with tiny LEDs that mimic the effect of looking up at the Milky Way. Even the floor is lined with black leather, so make sure you wipe your boots before getting in.
In the back there are individual seats, instead of a rear bench, with a big centre console between which houses fold-out tables and the controls for the various seat adjustments, heating, and ventilation.
And the Co2 emissions? Oh, just 414g/km. Just as well they're only making ten...