Barbarous: The Brabus S600 Bi-Turbo

Granted, Brabus is an out-of-house tuner (i.e., not closely-linked-AMG). And the numbers that their engines produce certainly challenge AMG’s figures – 6.3 Liter, Twin Turbo, V-12; 730 bhp with 974 lb/ft torque.

However, only those truly devoid of taste would purchase such a vulgar car.

I have rarely liked AMG packaging on Benzes. They have had a pattern of putting swirly spoilers over crisp lines that more times than not ruined the lines of a given Mercedes.

Brabus is worse. Typically, the aftermarket “supertuner” goes one step further by providing anything from hideous aftermarket circle foglamps to out-of-place low profile aftermarket chrome rims as seen on their latest monstrosity.

Very ghetto.

As I mentioned in my article, La Rinacenza Italiano, it seems that automotive styling has gone to the dogs – or – more specifically Acura and Mitsubishi styled street racers. These cars are neither pretty, not inspiring, they are fundamentally base.

Having power is one thing. Packaging it in cheesy plastic aerodynamic garb is quite another.

Consider the conservative 500E AMG of the late 80s, early 90s. This sedan, “The Porsche Killer,” was almost as understated as the ordinary E-Class of the day.


However, there was no doubting the machine’s legendary performance.

Today, such a vehicle is referred to as a “sleeper.” I call it reserved power – an ethos that car manufacturers and aftermarket shops should adopt.

If, the Corporate Governance in Stuttgart had any inclination to preserve the heritage of their cars, they would shy away from supporting/encouraging aftermarket houses that are devaluing the name Mercedes-Benz.