What's a One Of Ten?

It's a strictly limited run (bet you can't guess how many are going to be made...) ultra-high performance version of the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, designed and built by well-known tuning mentalist Brabus.

What has it done this time?

Brabus has taken the (hardly slow) Mercedes G 65 AMG V12 and dramatically expands its performance. The engine is bored out to 6.3-litres, and the stock turbos are replaced by Brabus' own, larger puffers. The crankshaft and conrods are now milled from billet steel, and there are new pistons and manifolds, plus 80mm-bore exhausts.

That's some serious engineering, what's the end result?

All of that adds up to a whopping 900hp and 1,500Nm of torque, figures simply not previously seen by any SUV. It'll do a claimed 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds and go on to a (limited) top speed of 168mph. Don't even ask about the emissions (OK, they're a faintly shocking 414g/km). Keeping all of that under control is new suspension (Brabus' own Ride Control setup with special Bilstein dampers) which adds 120mm to the track of the standard G-Wagen (check out the extended wheelarches), massive brakes (412mm cross-drilled discs at the front) and bespoke Yokohama tyres.

Anything else?

As you can see, it also wears the sort of wild carbon-fibre bodykit we've come to expect from Brabus - check out the full-width bonnet scoop and LED rooftop light pod in particular. It makes the One Of Ten look as if someone has created Arnold Schwarzenegger in vehicular form.

Inside, there is black-and-white leather with red piping, and a black-leather floor (yes, really). There's a starlight LED headlining, which replicates the effect of sitting under a clear night sky, and the individually heated and cooled seats in the back are separated by a console with retracting tables and various infotainment controls.

Neil Briscoe - 11 Sep 2017