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Brabus Just Made the AMG SL Even Crazier—Meet the 986 HP Deep Blue

Brabus Just Made the AMG SL Even Crazier—Meet the 986 HP Deep Blue

There is something wild about the way Brabus operates. Take an already insane vehicle like the Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance and turn it into something even more extreme. That is exactly what they have done with the Brabus Rocket GTS Deep Blue—a luxury shooting brake with nearly 1,000 horsepower and a price tag that will make your accountant cry.

The original Rocket GTS came out in the fall of last year, bathed in menacing black and stuffed with carbon fiber and horsepower. It was based on the Mercedes-AMG roadster but turned into a hardtop with a hatchback-style rear. Now, Brabus has added a fresh coat of Deep Blue paint and a few interior color tweaks and is charging over $68,000 more for this version. Yes, that means the Deep Blue costs a staggering $1.181 million compared to the $1.112 million black variant. Is the blue worth that extra chunk of cash? Maybe. But with 986 horsepower under your foot, you probably are not thinking about that too hard.

What is under the hood is even more unhinged than the price tag. Brabus took the already potent 4.0-liter AMG V8 engine, bored it out to 4.4 liters, and decided to just round it up and call it a 4.5-liter. The result? 785 horsepower and 922 pound-feet of torque from the combustion engine alone. That was actually too much torque for the car to handle, so they electronically limited it to 774 pound-feet to save the transmission.

Add in a permanently excited synchronous electric motor strapped to the rear axle, and you are looking at a combined 986 horsepower and 1,342 pound-feet of torque. Even that had to be dialed back a bit. Final usable torque output is limited to 1,195 pound-feet to avoid tearing the drivetrain to pieces. That power goes to all four wheels through a 9-speed automatic transmission that allows for manual shifting with paddles.

Even with the added weight from the fixed roof and reinforced chassis, performance does not take a back seat. Zero to 62 miles per hour happens in just 2.6 seconds. Keep your foot down, and you will hit 186 miles per hour in only 21 seconds. Top speed? A cool 197 miles per hour before the electronic babysitter steps in.

It is still called a “shooting brake,” but let us be honest—it is a hatchback with a massive engine and ridiculous torque. Brabus says it is a Gran Turismo, but it is really a brutal track missile in formalwear. It is over the top in every way, and that is what makes it so desirable.

Brabus recently gave YouTube vlogger Mr. Benz early access to the Rocket GTS Deep Blue for a walkaround and short test drive. His first impressions are already online, and they will give you a closer look at just how wild this Deep Blue really is.

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