BRABUS has spent over 40 years carving its name into the upper echelon of high-performance road cars. Known for big power, bold design, and obsessive attention to detail, the German tuner’s latest creation takes things to another level. Meet the BRABUS 1000, a 986 hp (1,000 PS; 735 kW) monster built on the bones of the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE.
This beast delivers a system torque of 1,820 Nm (1,342 lb-ft), thanks to a hybrid drivetrain featuring a reworked twin-turbo V8 and a rear-mounted electric motor. Predictably, the numbers on paper are wild.
Zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes just 2.6 seconds, while 200 km/h (124 mph) takes just 9.5 seconds. The most impressive is that 300 km/h (186 mph) will pop up after just 23.6 seconds before hitting the electronically capped top speed of 320 km/h (200 mph).
To manage that kind of pace, aerodynamics had to be sorted. Everything was sculpted in the wind tunnel, and the result is a catalogue of exposed-carbon components that serve both form and function. These aren’t off-the-shelf bolt-ons. Every bit of bodywork, from the front spoiler to the rear diffuser and wing, is crafted in-house, available in either matte or gloss finish, or painted to match or contrast the body.
Wheels are a staggered set of BRABUS Monoblock Z forged alloys, 21 inches up front and 22 at the back, wrapped in serious rubber courtesy of Continental or Hankook. The ride is dropped by up to 20 mm thanks to height-adjustable sports springs co-developed with KW, improving handling and stance in equal measure.
Open the doors, and the attention to detail continues. This isn’t a regular leather-wrapped interior. It’s a full-on BRABUS Masterpiece treatment. Black leather and Dinamica microfibre are used throughout, with precision “Shell” quilting and micro-perforations across the seats and door panels. Even the floor mats and luggage area get the same treatment. There are nods to BRABUS’ founding year with embossed “77” logos in the trim. Carbon-fibre scuff plates with illuminated BRABUS logos, carbon inlays, and “ROCKET RED” accents finish off the cabin.
The engine work is typical BRABUS, methodical, mechanical, and serious. The V8 now displaces 4,407 cc thanks to a bore increase to 84 mm and a billet crank that stretches the stroke to 100 mm. Forged internals keep it strong. Boost comes via two BRABUS-specific turbos, feeding into a custom stainless-steel exhaust with metal catalysts and electronic valves that switch between tame and thunder depending on the mode.
Drive is sent to all four wheels via AMG’s 4MATIC+ system and a nine-speed SPEEDSHIFT MCT transmission, which can be manually controlled via BRABUS RACE carbon paddles. The electric motor powers the rear axle through its own two-speed gearbox. Everything works together in lockstep, dialled in through extensive bench and real-world testing, including racetrack sessions.
To protect the driveline, BRABUS caps torque output on the road to 1,620 Nm (1,195 lb-ft). Still, that doesn’t stop this hybrid 2+2 from being one of the most powerful and quickest on the planet.
The recommended retail price for the BRABUS 1000 supercar shown here is 445,900 euros (export price in Germany, excluding 19 percent VAT).
