From zero to 100 km / h in 3.1 seconds, the GT 63 S is one of the fastest members of the Mercedes-AMG line-up. German tuner Brabus saw room for improvement, so it added the sedan to its Rocket lineup of supercars by making it significantly more powerful, a little lower and much louder, both audibly and visually.
Limited to 10 numbered copies worldwide, as the name implies, the Rocket 900 One of 10 is impossible to miss, thanks in part to a full body kit that has been refined in a wind tunnel and made with carbon fiber to keep weight in check. It is by no means subtle, but no part of it has been added to draw attention. Brabus noted that the air intakes chiseled into the grille are needed to supply air to the larger engine, and that the front splitter reduces the tendency of the front axle to lift at high speeds; it’s not a plane after all, even it can most likely get one out of it faster than a stop.
An air suspension reduces the ride height of the 900 by about an inch in the two riding modes, called Comfort and Sport respectively. Special attention has been paid to the wheels, which are exceptionally wide to improve stability at high speeds and are fitted with aerodynamic carbon fiber discs. Finally, all chrome exterior trim was painted the same color as the body, and Brabus emblems replaced the three-pointed star all around.
There are more body colored parts inside; 215, to be precise, ranging from switches to bezels. Brabus also added diamond-stitched trim, although it encourages customers to work with its stylists and configure the cabin to their exact specifications. What you see in the pictures above isn’t necessarily what you get when you order one.
Whether you like or hate the visual tweaks, it’s hard to deny that Brabus takes the tuning process a step further than most of its competitors. He designed a 4.5-liter version of the standard 4.0-liter V8 by increasing the stroke and bore. It also installed a billet crankshaft, billet connecting rods and forged pistons.
“As we all know, there is nothing that can replace displacement except more displacement,” the company emphasizes.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. The list of changes made to the engine also includes a few more powerful turbochargers, high pressure pumps in the fuel delivery system, a ram air intake system, and a recalibrated ECU. It’s still bolted to a nine-speed automatic transmission that spins the four wheels via the 4Matic + system.
All told, the eight-cylinder develops 900 horsepower and 922 pound-feet of torque, although the last digit is electronically limited to 775 to keep the Rocket from throwing some of its drivetrain overboard under heavy acceleration. It takes 2.8 seconds to get from a stop to 100 km / h and 23.9 seconds for 300 km / h. Brabus limited the top speed to 205 mph; the 4,673-pound Rocket could go faster, but that’s all the tires can handle.
Modifications don’t come cheap, and Brabus has priced the 10 Rocket 900 One at $ 435,800, an amount that works out to about $ 514,000, before all kinds of taxes and options come into play. In other words, it’s about $ 352,000 (roughly the cost of a Rolls-Royce Cullinan) more expensive than the standard GT 63 S.
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