Ever since the 2008 Brabus Bullit first appeared on the carpet at the Frankfurt auto show last fall, we've been waiting to be beckoned to the Brabus factory to fire it in anger.
The Brabus Bullit is a 223-mph projectile that lives up to its name, another bold statement of tuner craziness from the overheated imagination of Bondo Buschmann, the founder and chief executive of Brabus.
The idea of a twin-turbo 720-horsepower Mercedes-Benz V12 will put anyone in a sweat, and this particular example has been stuffed under the hood of the brand-new 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan.
Celebrating 30 Years of Extreme Thinking
Buschmann celebrated his 30th year in business last November, and he's come a long way from the little tuning shop he set up in 1977 in the Ruhr Valley to build Mercedes-Benz hot rods.
A fleet of 200 high-performance Mercedes 190Es put Brabus on the map in 1984, and since then the company has progressed from simply installing high-performance accessories (usually the more the better) to the creation of dedicated Brabus models, notably the 230-mph Brabus Rocket based on the Mercedes-Benz CLS. These days, the Brabus facility covers 1.2 million square feet along Kirchhellener Strasse in Bottrop, not far from the city of Essen.
For all these decades, Brabus has been pursuing extreme engine power, a quest that has often seemed like an internal battle against its own megalomaniacal demons. No other German tuner is prepared to go to such lengths in both financial and engineering terms to reach its goal. This thirst for power would have any number of psychoanalysts reaching for their jotter, but for fans of fantastic engineering, merely being in the presence of such an object is pretty much as good as it gets.
Start With Power
At Brabus, everything seems to start with the Brabus SV12 S BiTurbo, a version of the twin-turbo 6.0-liter Mercedes-Benz V12. Brabus increases the bore of the cylinders to raise displacement to 6,233cc, then fits its own pistons and connecting rods. The cylinder heads (three valves per cylinder) are re-machined and fitted with a different camshaft.
Upstream of the engine you'll find two larger turbos and more efficient intercoolers in place of the stock Mercedes-Benz items. Downstream you'll find a stainless-steel exhaust system with low-restriction catalysts.
The result is 720 horsepower, a 19 percent increase over the stock twin-turbo Benz V12. The engine's peak torque output is actually 974 pound-feet, an astonishing 32 percent increase, but the engine's electronics have been calibrated to reduce the output in the C-Class to a more manageable 811 lb-ft, a 10 percent increase.
Keeping the Genie in the Bottle
Once you fit the Brabus V12 under the hood of the latest Mercedes-Benz C-Class, it's no small task to keep such power in control. No wonder Brabus does a big makeover of the little Mercedes.
To keep the Bullit on target as it speeds down the autobahn (or across the desert wastes of the Middle East, where Brabus has always enjoyed a strong market), the C-Class' aerodynamics have been suitably modified. The front fascia admits more air to the deep-breathing V12, while the airdam runs close to the pavement. The new rocker sills are pronounced and there's a gaping aero diffuser beneath the rear bumper that's complemented by a three-piece spoiler on the deck lid.
The Brabus coil-over suspension features dampers that are 10-way adjustable in both compression and rebound, and stiff antiroll bars minimize body roll during cornering. The brakes appear to be up to the task of extreme speed, as the thick front rotors measure 15 inches in diameter and feature the latest 12-piston fixed calipers.
Of course, it's all about keeping the tires on the ground, and the 19-inch wheels feature Yokohama Advan Sport tires, 265/30ZR19s on 9-inch rims in front and 285/30ZR19s on 10-inch rims in the rear.
Test Firing the Bullit
After complications with some kind of incredible windstorm that delay our drive, we finally get behind the wheel of the Bullit.
The exterior style has been finalized, and all of the extra body addenda has been made from carbon fiber. In the rigorously Germanic interior, it seems as though not one single element apart from the headlight control has been carried over from the C-Class, and everything has been smothered in leather, suede, aluminum or carbon fiber.
Under the thick, specially made plate that surrounds the gearlever, there's the five-speed automatic transmission that Mercedes customarily matches with the V12 engine, since the new seven-speed automatic doesn't have the necessary torque capacity. (In fact, even this five-speed has been uprated by Brabus.) A limited-slip differential also helps tame the power production.
While the Bullit's specifications sheet certainly conjures up an image of pavement-creasing performance, we have to admit that we only got a small sample of what this car promises. This Bullit is a prototype unable to do more than scratch the surface of its potential. For a start, the suspension feels like it's made of wood and at speeds of more than 90 mph the whole thing gets more than a little hairy. The engine's ECU is still at the development stage, so the V12 requires patience.
Just like any other prototype, the Bullit drives badly, and some parts are not working well (or even at all). Even so, this car represents a $1.5 million investment in parts and labor for Brabus.
Coming Soon
Once the 2008 Brabus Bullit is finally ready, it'll make some serious numbers. We're promised 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.9 seconds, 124 mph in 10.5 seconds and even 186 mph in 24.5 seconds.
You clearly don't have to hold your breath very long to reach the Brabus Bullit's advertised top speed of 223 mph. Of course, it all comes at a price that will steal your breath away for at least a couple of minutes: $515,000.
