Stand well back: the Brabus 800 Cabrio is here
And not just one of them either...
Credit where it’s due to Brabus: just when it seems like we’ve reached peak mad Mercedes, they manage to raise the barmy bar yet further. In recent times, there’s been a new Rocket, now a hyper GT shooting brake, a 1,000hp ‘Thunderdome’ and, of course, the Big Boy 1200. Don’t forget the bikes, too. And the Porsches. But Benz is where Brabus is probably most comfortable, and the G-Class is presumably its most popular model. So here is what happens to Mercedes’ iconic off-roader when Brabus just keeps saying yes until there’s nothing left to fit. Those that want one can now have an 800hp, portal axled, G-Class cabriolet. With 24-inch wheels. It’s tempting to call this pair of cars, the 800 Cabrio and the XL 800 Cabrio, peak Brabus, but you just know there’ll be something else in the works soon enough.
For now, both of these employ Brabus’s new four-door, open body; we’ve all seen drop-top Gs before, but apparently none like this. The claim is of a convertible that ‘achieves torsional rigidity on the level of the closed base vehicle’, which would be quite something if true. A ton (probably not quite literal, but maybe not far off) of high-strength steel has been added to beef up the 800s, with more than 60,000 miles of simulated driving, 10 hours in the rain chamber and a ‘successful completion’ of the obligatory rollover assessment done in development. It seems a proper job, however strange a convertible G still looks, with more than 500 unique bits included in the build; one of those, the carbon fibre roof bow at the front of the roof, is said to be a world first. The roof goes up or down in 20 seconds, comparable with conventional convertibles. And just long enough for absolutely everyone to see.
Both use an 800hp version of the long-serving 4.0-litre V8, which ought to be plenty given how rapid a standard G63 - on which both cabrios are built - tends to feel. Brabus claims 0-62mph in 4.0 seconds, 150mph and 15.9mpg for the standard soft top, or 4.6, 130mph and, um, 11.7mpg for the XL and its 22-inch, eight-lug all-terrain tyres. Both are likely to seem ludicrously fast with the roof off and the Brabus sports exhaust thundering.
Those who’ve paid attention to recent Bottrop wares, and not simply gawped in astonishment, might recognise the ‘XL’ tag that denotes a portal axled car. So the Pale Brown car here, despite appearances and your assumptions, is ‘mainly designed for phenomenal off-road capabilities’. Right. The axles mean 48cm of ground clearance, wheel hubs 15cm lower and improved approach and breakover angles. With unique subframes, suspension links and KW dampers, Brabus says the XL mods have ‘a noticeable positive effect on mastering obstacles.’ Roofless rock crawling promises to be an unforgettable experience in one of these.
For those keen to keep 800hp only on the straight and (not so) narrow, the regular 800 cabrio comes with 24-inch Brabus Monoblock ZM Platinum Edition wheels, Hankook Ventus tyres (best stock up on 355/25 ZR 24s now), plus Brabus sports springs that can adjust ride height between 20 and 40mm lower than stock. So even with the roof up, it’ll be clear that this ain’t no ordinary G. Both 800s, of course, are significantly broader than standard (2100mm) thanks to the Brabus Widestar kit; it can be kept in carbon, or body coloured.
Indeed, as a Brabus build, customisation (as well as 800hp silliness) is the name of the game with these convertibles. Just 50 of each configuration will be built, priced from 761,500 euros (£670k) for the ready salted 800 and 887,600 euros (£782,000) for the portal-axled car, both excluding VAT. And before thinking about personalisation, surely. Because as well as the outside and the Masterpiece interior to think of - check out the red of the XL, just like its chassis - there’s now a roof colour to consider as well. The quilting and embossing are just as Brabus as might be hoped for with such extravagant limited editions. Both are available to order now, or you can jump the queue and buy these demonstrators direct from Brabus - set aside a million euros for the brown one…
I love a red leather interior, but that's TOO RED: it's like sitting inside a birth canal.
Given the obvious engineering nous present within Brabus, I wonder why they don't just make their own car, rather than base it on a brick-like dinosaur whose origins can loosely be traced back to the 1970s. Development costs, I guess, but when your clientele has virtually limitless spending power and you're charging whatever you like for the product, can you not make a business case for it?
But I can see how it might appeal to middle eastern sensibilities.
Doubt we'll see any over here - with the exception of the odd Premier League training ground.
If that's what it takes to keep Merc in business, crack on.
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