Brabus B63S 700 6x6 (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

This behemoth is the Brabus B63S 700 6x6, a six-wheel drive G-wagen with 690bhp that’s been revealed at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show.

No, it’s a real Brabus production vehicle, based on Mercedes AMG’s own mad G63 6x6. That AMG Merc is powered by a 536bhp twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 engine, but Brabus has increased the power output of the B63S to a Lamborghini Aventador-rivalling 690bhp. And there’s a monstrous 708lb ft (produced between 2000 and 4500rpm) instead of the standard 561lb ft. All six of the rear wheels are driven by a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

That extra 154bhp comes courtesy of two Brabus-spec turbochargers which raise the boost pressure, new high-performance catalysts, and gold leaf-trimmed intake and turbo pipes to lower the temperature of the air entering the engine. There’s also a stainless steel, side-exit sports exhaust system with butterfly valves to control the noise of the V8, so you can switch between ‘Coming home’ and ‘Sport’ modes. And Brabus B63S comes with a three-year/62,000-mile warranty.

The standard Mercedes G63 AMG 6x6 already has six-wheel drive, a low-range gearbox, five differential locks and a tyre pressure control system that can adjust the 37-inch tyres, so the Brabus’s extra power will only make ploughing through muddy tracks even easier.

Yet all that power has to fight against nearly four tonnes, so the B63S hits 62mph in /only/ 7.4 seconds and even Brabus has been sensible enough to limit it to 100mph because of the huge off-road tyres.

And would you even want to take the Brabus B63S off-road? That carbonfibre bonnet scoop and carbon wheelarches, polished underbody protection and black paint will show up scratches a treat. Then again, the red leather and Alcantara interior might look better covered in mud.

Yours from about £400k…

By Ben Pulman