Brabus turns the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG up to 850 hp

While other German tuners' cars sometimes answer questions no one asked, Mercedes-Benz tuning house Brabus has tended to answer questions that many were too scared to ask. One such question was: what would an 850-hp E-class sedan be like? The answer comes in the form of their latest reworking of the E63 AMG sedan (itself no slouch, it should be noted), called the 850 6.0 Biturbo. So what's under the hood of this beast?

Brabus started by increasing the displacement of the 5.5-liter V8 to 5.9 liters by boring out the cylinders. The tuner then added a precision-balanced billet crankshaft along with new pistons and piston rods, also making improvements to the cylinder heads. A twin-turbocharging system has then been added, along with Brabus' own intake module and an air duct that's been integrated into the hood.

Out back, Brabus has installed a high-performance exhaust system with a controlled butterfly valve that offers two modes for two different degrees of "advertising" the presence of the car. And of course Brabus has also adjusted the engine control unit, which has been calibrated to comply with Euro VI emissions standards.

The result is a sedan that produces 850 hp and 848 lb-ft of torque (dialed down from 1,069 lb-ft, which the engine is capable of producing). In rear-wheel drive form, this gives the 850 6.0 Biturbo the ability to sprint from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.7 seconds, though with Mercedes-Benz's 4Matic all-wheel drive, the sedan can get there in 3.1 seconds. The 155 mph speed limiter has been removed, and depending on the tires fitted, the car can now reach speeds between 186 mph and 217 mph. Given that Brabus' home town of Bottrop is next to a derestricted autobahn, that top speed has probably been confirmed in places other than a closed track.

Brabus has added a few aerodynamic touches including a front spoiler lip and a rear diffuser, all made out of carbon fiber, and the interior trim is limited only by the customer's imagination. Brabus has not announced pricing for this model, though it always depends on the options chosen for the 850, including wheels and interior design.

By Jay Ramey