2001 Mercedes-Benz Brabus SV12

Another random vehicle review tonight…..

2001 Mercedes-Benz Brabus SV12

One of my all-time favorites, this was easily the most expensive car I had owned at the time, pricing out at around $225,000 when new.  Brabus built exactly 11 of these for all of North America and this was the only one in 'Desert Sand'.  When I called them to ask a question about maintenance one time, they actually turned me over to the individual that hand-built the engine for it.

 

You see a lot of Mercedes with Brabus wheels on them but you will rarely see an actual Brabus factory-built car.  That's primarily because they're very expensive and are almost never on the open market.  It's also because Brabus likes to buy their cars back and re-sell them at their own discretion.  I actually got a call from them after I had already sold this one asking if I wanted to let it go.

This car started its life as a Mercedes S600, which is already one of the most luxurious cars in the world.  Brabus hadn't added a whole lot to the interior other than a killer audio/video system, but they had put their stamp on everything.  They replaced the leather with their own embossed with the "B" logo and had replaced a number of other items to make the car more unique.

Cosmetics aside, if you want to know how a $125K car becomes a $225K car, you're looking at it.  This is a hand-built, 6.7 liter twin turbocharged V12 that puts out over 600 horsepower and turns this very heavy car into a rocket.  It's not just the engine though.  Brabus completely rebuilds the suspension, brakes, exhaust, and virtually anything else that affects the cars performance.

I really loved driving this thing, but it also made me a bit nervous.  I basically had a house worth of money in the car and I wasn't completely comfortable with my insurance provider at the time.

I could have lived in the back seat!  Easily the most comfortable back seat to ride in I've ever seen.  It had everything including heated and cooled seats that massaged you as well, a TV with a DVD player, sunshades, etc..

The car started running rough at one point so I took it to my mechanic.  It just needed new plugs, but there were 24 of them and they cost about $50 each.  After the tune-up it ran great and never gave me any problems (thank God).

A sad bye-bye to the Brabus

I sold the car to a guy in Northern California that owned some restaurants.  It was a sad day as I watched this monster get loaded onto a transport and drive away.  I can't imagine I would ever own another Brabus car, but I appreciate the time I had with it.  I can't say it's worth the money though.  Today, you can buy an AMG S63 or S65 for less money but have a factory Mercedes that is at least as mean if not more so….and a factory warranty!