Brabus unleashes Mercedes-Benz SL850 6.0 Biturbo

We still remember a time when Brabus' Mercedes-Benz cars were tough to pick out in a crowd, but with the current generation of cars from this Bottrop-based tuning house everyone will be able to spot them from a mile away. Given the maximum speed of some of its cars, that's not a bad thing by any means. And even though Brabus has recently attracted attention for its treatment of the facelifted G-class and the new Mercedes-Benz S-class, their latest reworking of the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG is sure to reset the bar when it comes to the SL-class.

Brabus started by increasing the displacement of the 5.5-liter V8 engine from the SL63 AMG to 6.0-liters. Through further electronic tuning, Brabus has managed to increase the horsepower output from 537-hp up to an incredible 850-hp. The increase in torque is even more dramatic, with Brabus managing to squeeze out 1069 lb-ft of torque out of the engine. That's an increase of 479 lb-ft of torque, up from 590 lb-ft found in the standard SL63 AMG. Brabus hasn't released performance figures for the SL850 6.0 Biturbo, though the 0 to 60 time is expected to be quicker than the 4.3 seconds achieved by the AMG model, with the car making the sprint in under 4 seconds.

Brabus
The exterior has been kept relatively quiet, though the car has received redesigned bumpers and a spoiler.

Brabus has also tweaked the appearance of the car, designing new front and rear bumpers, along with a front splitter made out of carbon fiber. Out back, the car has received a newly designed rear diffuser, a sport exhaust system, and a rather modest spoiler matched to the body color. The hood has received a functional scoop that feeds the twin turbos, and of course Brabus has added its own grille, badging, and 20-inch sport wheels.

Brabus
The 5.5-liter engine has been bored out to 6.0-liters.

The company hasn't released details on the price of this beast or the interior options, though it's not unwarranted to assume that the interior can be completed per order or kept stock, though quite a few customers take advantage of Brabus' interior design skills.

But new owners would be wise to stock up on rubber in advance.

By Jay Ramey