Brabus 800 Adventure XLP gets bespoke pick-up body

And an 800hp V8. And a winch. And a landing pad for a drone

Brabus has produced the first four-wheeled pick-up version of Mercedes’s G-Class using a heavily modified G63, sporting an entirely new rear-end and significantly boosted V8 for good measure. The 800 Adventure XLP has been made in-house at Brabus with new sheet metal panels and an open back-end, mixing the lines of Merc’s own 6x6 beast with the lighter, more compact base of the Affalterbach-made 4.0-litre. Like the ‘regular’ 800s, the XLP’s motor has been pumped up to produce 800hp and 738lb ft of torque.

As the Adventure XLP’s name suggests, this is a model meant for the job of going absolutely anywhere - albeit at ridiculous speeds. It can, if you ask it to, sprint from 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and reach a 150mph top speed. But the car’s main focus is evident in the lifted stance, which clears 490mm of space between the ground and chassis. Brabus reckons the off-road talents of its creation – not to mention the storage space enabled by that behind – make it fit for rescue services. Albeit ones with budgets to fund that ‘hot vee’ motor.

The 800's rear actually extends the car’s overall length by 689mm compared with a regular G63, although that leaves it 422mm shorter in length than AMG’s own pick-up. That car has six wheels, however, meaning Brabus’s creation can claim to being the largest and quickest four-wheeled G-Class – not to mention a direct rival to the likes of Hennessey’s 1,000hp Gladiator. Brabus’s bespoke body uses composite materials for strength and lightness, while the underlying chassis gets bespoke hardware including reinforced axle housing and a CNC-produced integral subframe, among others.

The uprated setup also gains Brabus’s 22-inch wheels with Pirelli Scorpion ATR all-terrain boots, with chunky sidewalls and 325mm-wide contact patches. Adding to the muscular look and off-road functionality is a raft of underbody protection, a winch and LED lighting, while naked carbon fibre panels can be specced as well. Better still, the 800 comes with an optional pick-up bed for an actual drone – the German-made Wingcopter you see in the pictures here. This obviously adds to the vehicle’s rescue duty potential. Or it completes the car’s Thunderbirds-aping awesomeness ten times over.

Cars to be ordered and built in 2020 will be built in highest-spec First Edition trim, the prices for which will be released following the 800’s public showing at next week’s Geneva motor show. Last year’s Brabus 800 Black Ops and Shadow Editions – which were based on the regular bodyshape – cost €250k and €328k respectively to give you a eye-watering reference point.