Brabus Benz clocked at 362 km/h

Thursday, 29 June 2006, CAR TODAY NEWS, SOUTH AFRICA - - The 6,3-litre twin-turbo V12-engined Brabus Rocket, which made its début at last year’s Frankfurt Show, can claim to be the world's fastest saloon after recently posting a top speed of 362 km/h at Nardo, Italy's famous high speed circuit.

The German tuning company created the Rocket by shoe-horning a heavily-modified version of the Mercedes-Benz 5,5-litre V12 powerplant into the executive saloon CLS’ body and mating it with a uprated five-speed auto’ transmission and Brabus locking differential. Brabus increased the engine’s cylinder bore, fitted a special crankshaft, forged pistons, custom-developed larger turbochargers, more efficient intercoolers and a stainless-steel exhaust system (with low back pressure metal catalysts and four tailpipes). Further modifications included the installation of sport camshafts and new software, which optimises the mixture flow in the intake and outlet manifolds of both cylinder heads.

As a result, the Rocket’s 6,3-litre powerplant is claimed to be the most powerful TÜV-tested engine from Germany. The monster engine puts out its maximum power of 537 kW at 5 100 r/min. Peak torque is 1 320 N.m, but limited electronically to 1 100 N.m, and available from 2 100 r/min. Performance? 0 – 100 km/h in 4 secs, 0 – 200 km/h in 10,5 secs and 0 – 300 km/h in 29,5 seconds.

For those who are not too flummoxed to read further, here are some details on the Rocket’s specification. Brabus developed two suspension systems for the car – a comfort version, which features air suspension with automatic ride-leveling, and a sport version that comes equipped with a height-adjustable coil-over suspension and gas-pressure shocks with six different settings for bound and rebound on front and rear axle.

Stopping power is provided by ventilated 375 x 36 mm ceramics discs and 12-piston aluminium fixed callipers at the front and 355 x 28 mm steel discs and 6-piston aluminium fixed calipers at the rear. The Rocket rides on 19-inch multi-piece Brabus Monoblock S light-alloy wheels shod with 255/35 ZR 19 tyres at the front and 285/30 ZR 19 gumballs at the rear. The Rocket’s front apron has large air inlets that facilitate the optimal cooling of the car’s oil and water radiators and the spoiler is further credited for reducing aerodynamic lift and drag.

The rear spoiler lip, which like all other Brabus aerodynamic-enhancement parts was fine-tuned in a wind tunnel, emphasizes the rounded design of the CLS’s rear and, in combination with the front apron, reduces aerodynamic lift and improves directional stability, the company says. -->