Donny
12-18-2003, 04:19 PM
The IAA 2003
-An in-depth look at Frankfurt´s Finest
by Donny
Brabus
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusV12.jpg
Brabus had, as usual, a very nice stand with almost the whole range on show. Several of the cars were equipped with this engine, Brabus´ version of the twin-turbo V12 called SV12, first introduced in the Maybach but also powering Mercedes´ 600-models. Brabus has increased the displacement from 5,5 litres to 6,3 litres which is achieved through the installation of a unique steel-billet crankshaft, larger diameter lightweight alloy pistons and precision-balanced connecting-rods. The engine is also fitted with sport camshafts, precision-machined cylinder heads, a high-performance sport exhaust system and reprogrammed engine electronics. The engine is amazingly powerful, 640 bhp at 5100 rpm and a maximum torque of 1026 NM from 1750 rpm. This engine is available for the SL-, CL- and S600 and the upgrade costs 44900 EURO plus an installation cost of 1980 EURO. But it is also available in the E-class in a model called EV12. The EV12 is only available as a complete car, built in exclusive small-series production, which means that you can´t upgrade your standard E500 with the V12-engine, you have to buy the EV12 directly from Brabus. It is one of the most amazing 4-door cars ever built.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12.jpg
Here you can see the mighty V12-engine in the E-class. For those of you who remember the old EV12, based on the W210 E-Class, it´s a "familiar" sight. The old EV12 was powered by a 7,3 litre V12 which produced 582 bhp. In October 1996 that car was awarded the title of ´fastest four-door sedan in the world´ by the Guinness Book of World Records. The top-speed was 330 km/h. With 640 bhp and a maximum torque of 1026 NM, the new EV12 is even faster. 0-100 km/h in 4,2 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 12,9 seconds and a top speed of 340 km/h, electronically limited that is. It would be even faster if the tires could handle higher speeds.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-2.jpg
Just like on the AMG-engines there is a sign on the engine signed by the person who built it.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-3.jpg
The EV12 is very discrete. It could easily be mistaken for a standard E-class with aftermarket wheels. If you look closer you will notice that the EV12 has some changes made to it. It is very important that the car offers exceptional stability at the very high speeds the EV12 is capable of so Brabus has fitted a new front bumper with intergrated spoiler and a carbon lip.They have also fitted side skirts which has a interesting feature; Pulling on the inside door handles or pushing the button on the remote-control activates entrance lights located in the underside of the skirts which illuminate the ground next to the car.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-8.jpg
Here you get a better look of the spoiler lip on the trunk. Wasn´t the E39 M5 the first car to have this kind of spoiler? I think so. Brabus has also fitted a new rear apron. These subtle changes together with the bigger wheels and the V12-badges makes the EV12 look much more aggressive than a standard E-class but still very classy.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-9.jpg
This picture show the front brakes. The discs measures 375 x 36 millimeters and the aluminium calipers has, as you can read on the text, 12 pistons. At rear it has 355 x 28 millimeter discs and 6 piston calipers. This brake system is also available for the E55 AMG and costs 17900 EURO.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-4.jpg
The EV12 comes standard equipped with a special interior made from a combination of especially soft Brabus Mastik and Alcantara leathers. But of course, you can custom-order the interior too.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-5.jpg
Not many family saloons have speedos graded to 360 km/h. Also notice the alcantara-covered dashboard.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-10.jpg
Brabus door-lock pins in aluminium.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-6.jpg
If you forget which car you drive, this text on the middle-console should remind you.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-7.jpg
Even when you open the trunk you get reminded that you drive something special. The boot floor matches the interior colour and can be ordered with colour-coded edging. If you need more space in the trunk, you can order the EV12 as an estate!! The base price of the EV12 is 298000 EURO.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus-2.jpg
This particular S-class was one of the most well-equipped cars I´ve ever seen. The Brabus-program for the W220 S-class is simply amazing. They offer everything imaginable, well almost. The front bumper is unmistakeably Brabus with four auxiliary headlights. A nice subtle touch is the small Brabus sign under the right pair of headlights. You can see that this car is based on the S600 bi-turbo because the front-spoiler has two additional air inlets for the intercoolers.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus.jpg
The SV12-sign means that this car is equipped with the top-of-the-line engine, the 640 bhp V12. But there are no less than 18 other performance kits available. Brabus offers tuning for all S-class models except the S400 CDI. The SV12 accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 4,3 seconds and has a electronically limited top-speed of 310 km/h. How about going 310 km/h while surfing the internet? It is possible with the Brabus Business.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus-3.jpg
Leather everywhere. This interior really gives the S-Class an sense of occasion. The Brabus Mastik leather is very soft and it looks really luxurious with the piping and stitching in contrasting colours.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus-4.jpg
Even though the SV12 is very nice from the front seats, it is the rear that is the most interesting in this car.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus-5.jpg
From here it is possible to surf the internet at 2*ISDN speed which is the fastest connection available for a car at the moment. The electrically deployed 12-inch TFT display is intergrated into the leather headliner and serves as monitor for the PC as well as the DVD changer. The system also features an intergrated MP3 player which offers storage capacity for more than 5000 songs. There are also two 7-inch LCD monitors integrated into the back of the front headrests as you can see. They are capable of displaying the signal of the navigation system or the program of the TV/DVD system. The wood-tables, which are intergrated into the backrests of the front seats, folds down electronically by the push of a button. They also contain retractable cup holders.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus-6.jpg
Care for a drink? This drink glass compartment replaces the upper cushion between the rear seats.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus-7.jpg
Here is the heart of the multimedia system, an IBM notebook which is housed safely in an electrically deployed drawer as you can see here. The small plaque on the drawer says that this is the Brabus Business number 401.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusCL-4.jpg
Here is Brabus counterpart to the CL65 AMG. It uses the same V12-engine as the cars described above. For the CL Brabus offers performance kits ranging from 336 bhp, based on the CL500, to 640 bhp, based on the CL600 Biturbo.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusCL-2.jpg
You can tell by the speedo that this car is very fast. The 360 km/h-speedo is only available for the CL600 Biturbo or the CL55 AMG Kompressor.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusCL.jpg
This car is equipped with the Brabus Mastik/Alcantara trim. It costs EURO 6900. I would´t choose this interior but it feels really good to sit in. The Brabus-logos on the door-sills are illuminated, a very nice touch.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/Brabusped.jpg
Here is a close-up of Brabus pedal pads made of aluminium. This picture is from the CL but these pedals are available for almost all models.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusSV12.jpg
Of course Brabus had a modified SL on display and as you can tell by the SV12-designation this particular car is based on the SL600 and has the 6,3-litre V12-engine with 640 bhp and 1026 Nm of torque. The performance with this engine is amazing; 0-100 km/h in 4,3 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 12,8 seconds. The top-speed is electronically limited to 310 km/h. Brabus thinks that approximately 350 km/h would be possible if the tires could handle such high speeds. Brabus offers another performance-kit, without increased displacement, for the SL600, the T12-kit which delivers 570 bhp and a torque of 900 Nm.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusSV12-2.jpg
This car has the multi-piece Brabus Monoblock VI wheels. The largest possible wheel/tire combination available for the SL uses 9x20" in front with 255/30-tires, and 10.5x20" at rear with 305/25-tires. As you can see, this car also has upgraded brakes, the same system that is used on the EV12. If you decide to upgrade your SL600-engine to an SV12-engine, Brabus recommend that you upgrade the brakes too. I wonder why...
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusSV12-3.jpg
This is the nicest interior I´ve ever seen in a SL. It has Brabus Mastik leather, which feels very soft, everywhere. This interior costs around 17000 EURO and it takes 25 days to finish. It really takes the SL-interior to another level.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusSV12-4.jpg
Speedometers with a 360 km/h scale are becoming more and more common in the car industry. Brabus is no exception as you may have noticed. This speedo is available for all SL-models. Note the black stitching, very nice.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusSV12-5.jpg
The SV12 is a very desirable car which for some reason made me want to check out the stock-markets. Fortunately the SV12 was fitted with a Internet system. Not like the system fitted to the Brabus Business, this system is more like the system that BMW offers in the 7-series. But it works just fine if you want to check out the weather, news or the stock-markets for example. The system is operated via the standard control set of the Comand system.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusK8.jpg
The K8-designation means that this car is based on the E55 AMG. The K8 performance kit increases the power to 530 bhp and the torque to 775 Nm for a cost of 15900 EURO plus an installation cost of 1490 EURO. Brabus claims an E55 fitted with K8-kit can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4,3 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 13,6 seconds and has a electronically limited top-speed of 320 km/h. The kit is available for both the E55 Saloon and the Estate. Brabus also offers a six percent shorter final drive for the E55 and S55 for even better driving dynamics.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusK8-2.jpg
As you may have noticed on the last picture this car had six tailpipes! Three on each side. I think this is overkill and prefer four. But I do like the Carbon-lip above them.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusK8-3.jpg
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusTE.jpg
There is a lot of interior changes made to the CLK K8. The sport seats are upholstered with a combination of BRABUS Mastik leather and Alcantara. There are a lot of carbon applications in the cockpit and on the foot pedals, as well as an aluminum shift knob. And the speedo is scaled to 360 km/h as usual.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusCLK-3.jpg
If you have a CLK500 or CLK55 AMG Convertible, the Brabus 6,1 increased-displacement engine might be of interest. The car on the picture is equipped with that engine and it produces 426 bhp and a torque of 621 Nm. Brabus claims it can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4,8 seconds and on to a top-speed of 300 km/h. Brabus program for the CLK Convertible is just as impressive as for the other models with everything from wheels to a digital DVB-T television tuner for the Comand system.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusCLK-4.jpg
-An in-depth look at Frankfurt´s Finest
by Donny
Brabus
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusV12.jpg
Brabus had, as usual, a very nice stand with almost the whole range on show. Several of the cars were equipped with this engine, Brabus´ version of the twin-turbo V12 called SV12, first introduced in the Maybach but also powering Mercedes´ 600-models. Brabus has increased the displacement from 5,5 litres to 6,3 litres which is achieved through the installation of a unique steel-billet crankshaft, larger diameter lightweight alloy pistons and precision-balanced connecting-rods. The engine is also fitted with sport camshafts, precision-machined cylinder heads, a high-performance sport exhaust system and reprogrammed engine electronics. The engine is amazingly powerful, 640 bhp at 5100 rpm and a maximum torque of 1026 NM from 1750 rpm. This engine is available for the SL-, CL- and S600 and the upgrade costs 44900 EURO plus an installation cost of 1980 EURO. But it is also available in the E-class in a model called EV12. The EV12 is only available as a complete car, built in exclusive small-series production, which means that you can´t upgrade your standard E500 with the V12-engine, you have to buy the EV12 directly from Brabus. It is one of the most amazing 4-door cars ever built.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12.jpg
Here you can see the mighty V12-engine in the E-class. For those of you who remember the old EV12, based on the W210 E-Class, it´s a "familiar" sight. The old EV12 was powered by a 7,3 litre V12 which produced 582 bhp. In October 1996 that car was awarded the title of ´fastest four-door sedan in the world´ by the Guinness Book of World Records. The top-speed was 330 km/h. With 640 bhp and a maximum torque of 1026 NM, the new EV12 is even faster. 0-100 km/h in 4,2 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 12,9 seconds and a top speed of 340 km/h, electronically limited that is. It would be even faster if the tires could handle higher speeds.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-2.jpg
Just like on the AMG-engines there is a sign on the engine signed by the person who built it.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-3.jpg
The EV12 is very discrete. It could easily be mistaken for a standard E-class with aftermarket wheels. If you look closer you will notice that the EV12 has some changes made to it. It is very important that the car offers exceptional stability at the very high speeds the EV12 is capable of so Brabus has fitted a new front bumper with intergrated spoiler and a carbon lip.They have also fitted side skirts which has a interesting feature; Pulling on the inside door handles or pushing the button on the remote-control activates entrance lights located in the underside of the skirts which illuminate the ground next to the car.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-8.jpg
Here you get a better look of the spoiler lip on the trunk. Wasn´t the E39 M5 the first car to have this kind of spoiler? I think so. Brabus has also fitted a new rear apron. These subtle changes together with the bigger wheels and the V12-badges makes the EV12 look much more aggressive than a standard E-class but still very classy.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-9.jpg
This picture show the front brakes. The discs measures 375 x 36 millimeters and the aluminium calipers has, as you can read on the text, 12 pistons. At rear it has 355 x 28 millimeter discs and 6 piston calipers. This brake system is also available for the E55 AMG and costs 17900 EURO.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-4.jpg
The EV12 comes standard equipped with a special interior made from a combination of especially soft Brabus Mastik and Alcantara leathers. But of course, you can custom-order the interior too.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-5.jpg
Not many family saloons have speedos graded to 360 km/h. Also notice the alcantara-covered dashboard.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-10.jpg
Brabus door-lock pins in aluminium.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-6.jpg
If you forget which car you drive, this text on the middle-console should remind you.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/EV12-7.jpg
Even when you open the trunk you get reminded that you drive something special. The boot floor matches the interior colour and can be ordered with colour-coded edging. If you need more space in the trunk, you can order the EV12 as an estate!! The base price of the EV12 is 298000 EURO.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus-2.jpg
This particular S-class was one of the most well-equipped cars I´ve ever seen. The Brabus-program for the W220 S-class is simply amazing. They offer everything imaginable, well almost. The front bumper is unmistakeably Brabus with four auxiliary headlights. A nice subtle touch is the small Brabus sign under the right pair of headlights. You can see that this car is based on the S600 bi-turbo because the front-spoiler has two additional air inlets for the intercoolers.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus.jpg
The SV12-sign means that this car is equipped with the top-of-the-line engine, the 640 bhp V12. But there are no less than 18 other performance kits available. Brabus offers tuning for all S-class models except the S400 CDI. The SV12 accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 4,3 seconds and has a electronically limited top-speed of 310 km/h. How about going 310 km/h while surfing the internet? It is possible with the Brabus Business.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus-3.jpg
Leather everywhere. This interior really gives the S-Class an sense of occasion. The Brabus Mastik leather is very soft and it looks really luxurious with the piping and stitching in contrasting colours.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus-4.jpg
Even though the SV12 is very nice from the front seats, it is the rear that is the most interesting in this car.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus-5.jpg
From here it is possible to surf the internet at 2*ISDN speed which is the fastest connection available for a car at the moment. The electrically deployed 12-inch TFT display is intergrated into the leather headliner and serves as monitor for the PC as well as the DVD changer. The system also features an intergrated MP3 player which offers storage capacity for more than 5000 songs. There are also two 7-inch LCD monitors integrated into the back of the front headrests as you can see. They are capable of displaying the signal of the navigation system or the program of the TV/DVD system. The wood-tables, which are intergrated into the backrests of the front seats, folds down electronically by the push of a button. They also contain retractable cup holders.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus-6.jpg
Care for a drink? This drink glass compartment replaces the upper cushion between the rear seats.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusBus-7.jpg
Here is the heart of the multimedia system, an IBM notebook which is housed safely in an electrically deployed drawer as you can see here. The small plaque on the drawer says that this is the Brabus Business number 401.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusCL-4.jpg
Here is Brabus counterpart to the CL65 AMG. It uses the same V12-engine as the cars described above. For the CL Brabus offers performance kits ranging from 336 bhp, based on the CL500, to 640 bhp, based on the CL600 Biturbo.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusCL-2.jpg
You can tell by the speedo that this car is very fast. The 360 km/h-speedo is only available for the CL600 Biturbo or the CL55 AMG Kompressor.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusCL.jpg
This car is equipped with the Brabus Mastik/Alcantara trim. It costs EURO 6900. I would´t choose this interior but it feels really good to sit in. The Brabus-logos on the door-sills are illuminated, a very nice touch.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/Brabusped.jpg
Here is a close-up of Brabus pedal pads made of aluminium. This picture is from the CL but these pedals are available for almost all models.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusSV12.jpg
Of course Brabus had a modified SL on display and as you can tell by the SV12-designation this particular car is based on the SL600 and has the 6,3-litre V12-engine with 640 bhp and 1026 Nm of torque. The performance with this engine is amazing; 0-100 km/h in 4,3 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 12,8 seconds. The top-speed is electronically limited to 310 km/h. Brabus thinks that approximately 350 km/h would be possible if the tires could handle such high speeds. Brabus offers another performance-kit, without increased displacement, for the SL600, the T12-kit which delivers 570 bhp and a torque of 900 Nm.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusSV12-2.jpg
This car has the multi-piece Brabus Monoblock VI wheels. The largest possible wheel/tire combination available for the SL uses 9x20" in front with 255/30-tires, and 10.5x20" at rear with 305/25-tires. As you can see, this car also has upgraded brakes, the same system that is used on the EV12. If you decide to upgrade your SL600-engine to an SV12-engine, Brabus recommend that you upgrade the brakes too. I wonder why...
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusSV12-3.jpg
This is the nicest interior I´ve ever seen in a SL. It has Brabus Mastik leather, which feels very soft, everywhere. This interior costs around 17000 EURO and it takes 25 days to finish. It really takes the SL-interior to another level.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusSV12-4.jpg
Speedometers with a 360 km/h scale are becoming more and more common in the car industry. Brabus is no exception as you may have noticed. This speedo is available for all SL-models. Note the black stitching, very nice.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusSV12-5.jpg
The SV12 is a very desirable car which for some reason made me want to check out the stock-markets. Fortunately the SV12 was fitted with a Internet system. Not like the system fitted to the Brabus Business, this system is more like the system that BMW offers in the 7-series. But it works just fine if you want to check out the weather, news or the stock-markets for example. The system is operated via the standard control set of the Comand system.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusK8.jpg
The K8-designation means that this car is based on the E55 AMG. The K8 performance kit increases the power to 530 bhp and the torque to 775 Nm for a cost of 15900 EURO plus an installation cost of 1490 EURO. Brabus claims an E55 fitted with K8-kit can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4,3 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 13,6 seconds and has a electronically limited top-speed of 320 km/h. The kit is available for both the E55 Saloon and the Estate. Brabus also offers a six percent shorter final drive for the E55 and S55 for even better driving dynamics.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusK8-2.jpg
As you may have noticed on the last picture this car had six tailpipes! Three on each side. I think this is overkill and prefer four. But I do like the Carbon-lip above them.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusK8-3.jpg
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusTE.jpg
There is a lot of interior changes made to the CLK K8. The sport seats are upholstered with a combination of BRABUS Mastik leather and Alcantara. There are a lot of carbon applications in the cockpit and on the foot pedals, as well as an aluminum shift knob. And the speedo is scaled to 360 km/h as usual.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusCLK-3.jpg
If you have a CLK500 or CLK55 AMG Convertible, the Brabus 6,1 increased-displacement engine might be of interest. The car on the picture is equipped with that engine and it produces 426 bhp and a torque of 621 Nm. Brabus claims it can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4,8 seconds and on to a top-speed of 300 km/h. Brabus program for the CLK Convertible is just as impressive as for the other models with everything from wheels to a digital DVB-T television tuner for the Comand system.
http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/IAA/BrabusCLK-4.jpg