Brabus has spent close to five decades fettling some of the most desirable Mercedes-Benz models into poster-worthy specials. The Bottrop outfit was founded in 1977 by Bodo Buschmann, a Mercedes dealer’s son who was reportedly known for a tuned Porsche 911 at the time. Poetic, then, that the company now has a long line of Porsche builds, culminating in the latest: the hybrid Brabus 800. It starts life as the 992.2 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, though the parts list also fits the coupe.
The PowerXtra P36-800 upgrade is a control module that retunes fuel injection, ignition timing and boost pressure, lifting the 3.6-liter twin-turbo flat six from 640 to 729 hp and torque from 561 to 634 lb-ft. Porsche’s electric motor stays untouched, so the combined figure lands at 800 hp and 664 lb-ft. Funny that Brabus didn’t touch the hybrid hardware, which suggests that it trusts its capabilities, which is good enough for us. The coupe reaches 62 mph in 2.4 seconds, the cabriolet in 2.5, and both are capped at 200 mph.
The Brabus back catalogue explains the attitude. The 1989 190E 3.6S was a compact saloon that reached 62 mph in 6.3 seconds and topped out near 159 mph. The E V12 followed in 1993, with a 6.9-liter V12 and 509 hp wedged into an E500. By 1996 it had grown into a 7.3-liter, 582 hp brute that hit 62 mph in 4.9 seconds and earned a Guinness record as the fastest street-legal saloon. The pattern is hard to miss: Brabus has never met an engine bay it could not overfill.
Visually, the nose wears a carbon fiber splitter with upturned corners and reshaped intake louvers. Carbon mirror caps and side skirt add-ons run along the flanks, while the tail gets a fresh wing, diffuser and a lettered cover, all in matte or gloss. Underneath sit Monoblock ZL Platinum Edition wheels, 21 inches ahead and 22 behind, finished in black with bright polished edges and wrapped in Continental SportContact 7 tires measuring 255/30 and 335/25. KW adjustable springs drop the body by up to an inch.
Inside, black leather gets gray piping across the seats, dashboard and door panels, with Dynamic Diamond Double quilting spread over the seats and floor mats. Exposed carbon covers the steering wheel, center console, dashboard and doors. Aluminum pedal pads, a lit footrest and illuminated carbon entry sills finish the job. No price has surfaced yet, but expect over $500,000 going by what previous Brabus 911 builds have been priced at.
