Less than three months after official word came that Mercedes is bringing back the convertible G-Wagen for the first time in a generation by posting images of the vehicle’s A-line on social media, the aftermarket specialists at Brabus have already put their own G Cabrio on the market.
To do it, the German outfit custom-developed more than 500 components to create the complex soft-top, including a claimed world-first application of an integrated carbon fiber roof bow, which “ensures that the roof contour remains unchanged even at high speeds.” Its mechanism is actuated by a four-stage gear that can open or close in 20 seconds with the push of a button located in the overhead control panel. Brabus even rain-tested the roof for 10 hours to confirm that all seals and sound-deadening materials function to OEM standards.
As with the Brabus 800 variants that came before it, the “Brabus 800 Cabrio” gets the number in its name from the amount of horsepower produced by its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, which produces 737 pound-feet of torque. How those figures translate to speed depends on which of the two 800 Cabrio models are selected.
Equipped with Mercedes-AMG’s “Speedshift” nine-speed transmission, the street-focused 800 Cabrio will hit 62 mph in 4.0 seconds on the way to 150 mph. Brabus equipped its forged and CNC-machined “Platinum Edition” centerlock rims wrapped in supercar tires by Hankook, Brabus’s Korean technology partner. Brabus sports springs with threaded height adjustment allow the ride height to bedropped by up to 1.6 inches.
But the edition that G-Wagen devotees will really pine for—and the only model that Brabus has provided images of—is the off-road-ready Brabus XL 800 Cabrio. While the 62 mph sprint time and top speed drop to a still-brisk 4.6 seconds and 130 mph, this brute is equipped with portal axles. Because the differential and axle tubes are mounted above the wheels’ centers, clearance is increased to a ridiculous 18.9 inches, nearly doubling that of the stock G-Wagen.
The chassis has been bolstered with numerous components milled from high-strength aluminum, and special adjustable Brabus Ride Control coilovers were fitted, allowing the driver to select different setups for the titanium-coated aluminum struts from inside the cockpit. The alloys used in the Brabus Platinum Edition rims, which are wrapped in fat off-road tires, were specifically designed for the eight-lug pattern necessitated by the portal axles of this all-terrain cabriolet. The vehicle is finished in Pale Brown over a bold (borderline gaudy) red interior, which matches the wild red-lit tailpipe tips.
Priced from $884,000 for the 800 Cabrio and $1 million for the XL 800 Cabrio, more info on both of Brabus’s custom convertible G-Wagens is available online.
