Brabus SV12 S Biturbo Coupe (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

15 May 2007 11:37

Brabus SV12 S Biturbo Coupe: the lowdown

Environmental concerns? Soaring tax duties? Pah. Green issues are clearly a long way from the minds of the men in Bottrop, who today unveiled their latest loony coupe: the Brabus version of the CL. Prepare yourself for some calculator-challenging numbers. The renowned German tuners take a stock CL600 and increase capacity of the V12 from 5.5 to 6.3 litres. With two bigger turbochargers and bespoke Brabus crankshafts, cylinder heads and camshafts, outputs rise to 720bhp and 811lb ft of torque.

Even standard Mercedes nowadays are pushing the power race to ridiculous new heights, and many would question the need for this Brabus version. It has electronically limited the SV12's torque - unfettered, it would produce a tyre-troubling 974lb ft at just 2100rpm. Naturally, the CL is rear-wheel drive and we can't help but worry that the ESP light is going to be permanently engaged. The transmission is a five-speed auto and a locking rear diff is optional to try and tame the torque. It's correspondingly fast against the stopwatch, Brabus claiming a limited top speed of 211mph and 0-62mph in just 4.0sec.

By Tim Pollard