Brabus launches 900hp Rocket-grade pickup

You could already buy a 900hp Brabus-converted G63 - now you can have one with some teak decking...

Obviously it is Brabus’s job to go to places that more mainstream manufacturers would never dream of venturing, although when it talks about transforming ‘the iconic [Mercedes-AMG G63] into an all-wheel-drive supercar with a pickup bed’, you do start to wonder who would want such a thing. Especially when the car pictured here is listed at 711,718 euros, a price that does not include German VAT. Little wonder Brabus has only committed to building just ten examples of the new P 900 Rocket Edition.

Still, the concept of a high performance pickups is hardly a new one - and while they are inherently more practical and differently positioned, the tuner can at least point to the likes of the Ford F-150 Raptor R (a model, let’s not forget, that produces 720hp) for evidence of lively demand in North America. It also helps that Mercedes does not currently produce a pickup variant of the G-wagen, preferring to concentrate on the lucrative SUV market.

As you might expect from Brabus, it already has skin in the game in both respects: last year it revealed the XLP 800 Adventure, a pickup with portal axles, and in January it launched the latest 900 Rocket Edition, a G63 with 900hp that started at 569,900 euros. The new P edition (minus the portal axles, obviously) effectively smooshes the concepts together, meaning you get the carbon fibre wide-body design that marks the Rocket as different from any other G.

Although in the pickup’s case, which requires an extension module to be attached to the car’s steel ladder frame, standing out from the G-Class crowd comes as standard. The P 900’s wheelbase is 50mm longer than the SUV’s, and it incorporates a new steel rear bulkhead behind the back seats. The cargo bed and side-opening tailgate are metal, too, though the side panels are from carbon fibre. You get ‘durable soft-teak’ decking atop the bed, of course, so best be careful if you’re lobbing cement bags in there.

Maybe go easy on the total number as well, because The Rocket Edition, as the ‘supercar’ claim suggests, clearly favours performance over payload. The chassis retains Brabus’s aluminium coilovers and 24-inch three-spoke Monoblock II alloys, which means it sits 45mm lower than the standard G63. You’ll want to brush off your slacks before getting in, too, because the cabin is a characteristic mix of handcrafted leather and Alcantara, with lots of ‘Rocket Red’ touches dotted about the place.

That lot aside, the engine is the P 900’s primary ingredient. It remains the same as in the standard Rocket, which means there’s nothing much ‘standard’ about the bored-out 4.5-litre twin turbo V8 at all. Larger turbos and many forged internals allow it to reliably output 900hp, and 76mm downpipes mean everyone knows about it, too. Not a car for the shrinking violets among us, even with the exhaust in its ‘Coming Home’ mode. That niche is unlikely to appeal to the firm’s instincts; the P 900 Rocket Edition, meanwhile, is arguably peak Brabus.

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CH80

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