Wild 662kW Brabus 900 Crawler dune buggy launched

Brabus has switched from hypercar-hustling super-sedans to a new breed of off-road racer called the Brabus 900 Crawler.
 
Priced from an eye-watering €891,310 ($A1.3m), the famous German Benz tuner has announced it will make just 15 examples of the 2022 Brabus 900 Crawler, but none will be road legal.

That's because despite looking loosely based on the current Mercedes-AMG G 63, the extent of the parts sharing between the hyper G-Wagen and the 900 Crawler is extremely limited.
 
Most of the body, for example, is made out of ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre while the ladder-frame chassis is completely bespoke and closer to a racer than a road-dwelling off-roader.

 
That explains the lack of doors and windows that leaves the stripped-out interior and full-size roll-cage exposed.
 
Wide fenders, huge intakes, a bonnet scoop, an LED light bar and a large rear wing, plus side-mounted exhaust pipes, all hint at the performance on tap, which is considerable.

Under the bonnet is the same twin-turbocharged 4.5-litre V8 engine that's already used in 900-series Brabus models. In the 900 Crawler it produces an incredible 662kW and 1250Nm of torque.
 
Transmitting all its might through a nine-speed automatic transmission that channels power to all four wheels via up to three locking differentials, the high-riding Benz-powered dune buggy launches from rest to 100km/h in just 3.4 seconds – seriously impressive, although the top speed is tyre-limited to 160km/h.

Ensuring it has what it takes if it was ever entered in an all-terrain race, the 900 Crawler boasts a huge 530mm ground clearance, portal axles, height-adjustable dampers and big forged 20-inch monobloc alloy wheels wrapped in Maxxis Razr off-road tyres.
 
Reining in all its power are massive brakes that include 400mm discs on the front axles and big 370mm rotors on the rear.

 
Within the blustery cabin there's four carbon-fibre-shelled race seats that are wrapped in a special fabric developed by Brabus' sports boat division.
 
Ahead of the driver is a fully digital instrument cluster that, presumably, remains protected from dust, dirt and water. Instead of a traditional infotainment system, there's a 12-inch GPS navigation system that looks rally ready and is completely waterproof.



Brabus says it will off its 900 Crawler with four carbon-fibre crash helmets that are linked with a two-way communications system for free.
 
Releasing a video of the 900 Crawler driving flat-out in a desert, the German brand has confirmed its wild Dakar-bred off-roader is available to order now.

The $1.3 million starting price means it sits above the equally-unhinged Brabus 800 XLP Superblack in tuner's wild SUV line-up.