BRABUS Mercedes SLR McLaren Roadster Debuts In Essen

Making its world premiere at the Essen Motor Show today (Nov. 30, 2007), the Brabus prepped Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster is one of the few tuned supercars that we wouldn’t mind seeing in our garage. Maybe that's because the German's restrained themselves to a carbon fiber front spoiler that minimizes lift on the front axle, a corresponding rear diffuser also made from exposed carbon fiber and a set of sexy BRABUS Monoblock VI 20-inch alloy wheels mounted on high-performance Pirelli or Yokohama tires in sizes 255/30 ZR 20 and 305/25 ZR 20. -Continued after the jump

In terms of mechanical changes, the power tuning for the supercharged 5.5-liter (335.5 cu. in.) engine consists of special camshafts, a fuel cooling system and a high-performance exhaust that increase the power output of the V8 compressor engine by 24 hp to 650 hp at 6,500 rpm.

BRABUS also offers a special clutch-type limited-slip differential with a locking rate of 40 percent. It further optimizes traction and improves acceleration performance of the SLR Roadster. The tuned roadster sprints to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.6 sec and reaches a top speed of 337 km/h (209 mph).

Moving ahead to the interior, it all depends on the depth of your wallet. The company-own upholstery shop specializes in fulfilling just about any requests including a multitude of leather types and colors as well as custom upholstery designs. There’s also a sport steering wheel with integrated buttons for manual shifting of the SLR’s automatic transmission, carbon-fiber applications for dashboard, center console and door trim. The exposed carbon-fiber trim can be color-coordinated with the leather color of the interior.

An unusual BRABUS specialty is the waffle-patterned leather carpeting in the SLR’s footwells, as it contains some 7,800 meters (25,600 feet) of thread.