By IOL Motoring Staff
Bottrop, Germany - Brabus prefers to call this project a refinement of the existing AMG GT S, rather than a Brabus model in its own right.
The show car was specially built for the Frankfurt motor show; by Bottrop standards it's quite a mild makeover, adding no more than 66kW and 100Nm to the GT's as-issued 375kW and 650Nm, and discreetly blinged-up with a carbon-fibre aero kit and forged-alloy rims.
The heart of the matter is Brabus' proven PowerXtra B40-600 performance kit, a plug-and-play piggyback module that overwrites the original ECU with new fuel-injection and ignition mappings, and tweaks the waste-gate controls for what it Brabus calls a 'moderate' increase in boost pressure.
It speaks through a titanium sports exhaust system with titanium and carbon-fibre tailpipes, that weighs about 40 percent less than the standard system. With the driver-controlled butterfly valves in the collector box in 'stealth mode' it's actually quieter than the original; with them open however, it is very authoritative indeed.
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE ON THE AUTOBAHN AGAIN
The result is a 'moderate' 441kW (up from 310) at 6400 revs and 750Nm (up from 650) at 4800rpm, a getaway to 100km/h in just 3.6 seconds, and a top speed of 325km/h - 15km/h quicker than standard.
It runs on special multi-adjustable dampers and shorter springs that lower ride height by about 15mm, with 20 inch front and 21 inch rear Brabus Monobloc F 'Platinum Edition' lightweight forged-alloy rims wearing 275/30 front and 305/25 rear Pirelli semi-slicks.
The all-carbon fibre aero kit, finished in clear laquer for the show car (although, for a few dollars more, Brabus is willing to spray it any colour you want) starts with a bolt-on front splitter, includes cover trims for the two side air intakes, and outlets for the front fenders with inset Brabus badges that light up in blue when either the keyless fob or a door handle are operated.
The side skirts link the fender flares to the rear diffuser with its custom cutouts for the tailpipes, below a custom-profiled, fixed rear wing.
The show car also boasts scuff-plates made of the light stuff with stainless-steel inserts and a backlit Brabus logo that changes colour from red to white, matte-anodised aluminium pedals and special quick-action aluminium paddle shifters.