What's the news?
Right, so your Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S four-door is not powerful enough, at 639hp and 900Nm - what can you do about it? Well, you could always try German tuning legend Brabus, which has come up with this: the 800hp/1,000Nm Brabus 800. WHOA MAMMA!
Exterior
Having uprated the 4.0-litre biturbo V8 powertrain of the GT four-door, Brabus needed to ensure the exterior aerodynamics were up to snuff - while simultaneously making the thing look good for the well-heeled buyers who will purchase the 800. Much of the aerodynamic enhancement components are finished in exposed carbon fibre, which can be finished in high-gloss or matte-effect finishes. So check out the Brabus 800's front splitter (which reduces lift at speed), the embellishments of the air intakes, the diffuser insert at the back and the exposed carbon panels at the side of the rear bumper. Even the quad exhaust tips are finished in titanium, while in the wheel arches reside 21-inch front, 22-inch rear Brabus Monoblock Z 'Platinum Edition' ten-spoke alloy wheels. These are wrapped in colossal 275/35 ZR21 front and 335/25 ZR22 rear tyres; yep, that's a 25-profile at the back, there.
Interior
Brabus doesn't skimp on the interior, with the finest leather and Alcantara available in all manner of colours and combinations; the company says that the possibilities are 'virtually endless'. Wood and carbon-fibre inlays are also possible, with the show 800 - displayed at the Top Marques Monaco event - finished with Brabus fine leather seats in perforated black leather with white leather elements and white topstitching. Alcantara inserts on the seat bolsters are said to optimise lateral support during cornering. Beyond the customisable main upholstery, Brabus will fit the 800 with stainless-steel scuff plates with a backlit company logo, as well as aluminium door pins and pedals.
Mechanicals
Taking the wet-sumped M177 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo AMG unit, Brabus treats it to the PowerXtra B40S-800 performance upgrade. This involves the fitment of two new Brabus high-performance turbos, which are larger than the AMG items and capable of boosting to 1.6bar. New ECU control software sees increases of 161hp and 100Nm, to those headline peaks of 800hp at 6,600rpm and 1,000Nm available from 3,600rpm. Brabus also tweaks the nine-ratio Speedshift transmission and 4Matic+ AWD, resulting in a 0-100km/h time of 2.9 seconds - that's three-tenths of a second quicker than the GT 63 S it is based upon. The top speed is limited to the same 315km/h.
Brabus is confident of the reliability of this upgrade, though, as it offers a three-year, 100,000km warranty on the upgrade. And, to go with the extra power, a Brabus stainless steel exhaust with 90mm diameter exhaust tips provides the right sound for the 800, while a Brabus Airmatic Sport 'plug-and-play' module can adapt the air suspension of the GT four-door so that it sits 25mm closer to the ground in Comfort and Sport modes.
Anything else?
You can order the Brabus 800 as a complete car, or - if you already own a GT 63 S (you lucky thing, you...) - then you can have the performance upgrades retrofitted; either all at once, or as part of a programme of staged tuning.