Mercedes-Benz, Smart, Aston Martin, Bentley, Land Rover, Maserati – Brabus works on all these brands and more.
After tuning and adjusting the systems, the cars leave the company with the “Brabus” nameplate – the mark of quality and sporting ambitions. Everybody knows about it. But what exactly happens during manipulations of tuning specialists on all these cars? We learned about the specifics of creating sports cars from production cars firsthand.
How long does it take to assemble a V12 engine? How much working time goes into restoring a classic Mercedes W113 Pagoda, and what kind of things does Brabus do in addition to tuning Mercedes-Benz?
What is Brabus?
Atelier Brabus was created by Klaus Brackmann and Bodo Buschmann. It is from the initial letters of their names the company’s name was formed. In 1999, the company joined the group of companies from Daimler-Chrysler concern.
Brabus has long ceased to be tuning studio in the ordinary sense of the word. The company is officially registered as a car manufacturer. The maestro of large revisions walked to this for many decades, therefore the history of formation of the legendary car tuner is rich and thorny. Glory is not given to just anyone.
The company “Tuning-Urgestein” was founded in 1977 by Bodo Buschmann together with his colleague Klaus Brackmann. The company’s name is made up of the first three letters of each of the founders’ names: BRAckmann and BUSchmann.
For over 40 years, almost all Mercedes-Benz models made during almost half a century passed through the hands of Brabus specialists. The company’s interest to tuning does not end there. Brabus has its own assembly line for Smart cars, and also a subsidiary company Startech, which finishes British and Italian cars of premium-class Land Rover, Aston Martin, Bentley and Maserati.
Recently even boats have been tuned under the Brabus program. The Brabus Classic department takes care of restoration and repair of all old and not so old Mercedes and Youngtimers. And this will be more important: the preservation of history is a socially active position.
Only the main plant in Botrop employs about 400 people. In addition to the main staff, experts are scattered in other subsidiary assembly shops, including a branch office in Dubai, offices in London, Düsseldorf and so on. The company stores can do maintenance and repairs, and, of course, sell you a new car.
What does Brabus specialize in?
Many tuning studios specialize in individual parts of the vehicle. Some deal with the appearance of the car, others – its aerodynamics, while others specialize in increasing the performance of the car.
Brabus tuning is a combination of all areas, which ultimately leads to the creation of an almost perfect car on Brabus tires. The studio focuses on increasing engine power and torque, which leads to maximum vehicle performance.
The client always has a choice: buy a ready-made Mercedes Brabus or give the car a deep revamping. Brabus tuning involves several simple programs, which can include installation:
- Individual body parts. (front bumper, rear bumper, spoiler, mirror caps);
- Aerodynamic side skirts (WideStar);
- Brabus wheels (Brabus Monoblock 3);
- Power-up programs;
- Exhaust systems;
- Rigidity control suspensions (Ride Control);
- Braking systems.
- More significant Mercedes Brabus upgrades include:
- Boring of the engine block;
- Reworking the block head;
- Revamping or installation of new pistons, crankshaft, valves and other parts.
Conclusion
All engine upgrades are performed manually. Upon completion, the engine is marked with a nameplate signed by the master – a kind of guarantee and quality mark.
No less attention is paid to the car’s exterior and installing Brabus rims. In addition, the interior of the Mercedes Brabus is fitted with various decorative elements, exclusive details with the company’s emblem, state-of-the-art multimedia equipment and much more, creating the individuality of your Mercedes Benz.