Brabus

Brabus, founded since 1977 in Bottrop next to Düsseldorf, Germany by Klaus Brackmann and Bodo Buschmann, is a high-performance aftermarket tuning company which specializes in Mercedes-Benz, Smart and Maybach vehicles. Owned by Bodo Buschmann, Brabus has ever since grown to be the biggest Mercedes tuner, other than Mercedes-AMG who became a DaimlerChrysler affiliate in the 1990s. Brabus competitors include Lorinser, Carlsson, Kleemann, and Renntech.

Brabus's core focus is to achieve greatest engine performance through the enlarge of both horsepower and torque. Customers can either buy cars straight from Brabus or send in their Mercedes to be customized and/or overhauled. If a customer orders a car from Brabus, Brabus buys the particular car from Mercedes and then modifies it in-house according to the customer's requests. Brabus is known for providing very expensive tuning and custom solutions, making an "if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it" scenario.

Brabus offers easy improvement such as low profile spoilers, bodykits, carbon fiber splitters, and multi-piece alloy wheels. More serious upgrades include racing LSDs, open racing exhaust systems, twelve-piston disc brakes, and engine remapping. However, most customers pay for total engine overhauls for which Brabus has become well-known. The company naturally orders crate engines from AMG and entirely redesigns them to a level such that Brabus is now legitimately considered its own auto maker as different to a tuning company.

Brabus engines range from little 200 horsepower K4 blocks for SLK roadsters and CLK-Class to 730 horsepower twin-turbo blocks for the CL-Class, CLS-Class, and S-Class. The company also offers upgrading to the interior from custom upholstery, gauges, shiftknobs, pedals, and trims to a variety of electronics devices such as wider LCD screens, Sony PSP, Ice and other device.