Brabus 900 Rocket R review

8

Famed German speed merchants break the habit of a lifetime to deliver an uber-Porsche 911

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Some things just go contrary to the natural automotive order, such as a Porsche 911-based Brabus conversion.

I mean, what next, an Audi RS4 by Alpina? Anybody who remembers the heyday of lunatic, Brabus-fettled Mercedes-Benzes with Ferrari-crushing power will find even the idea odd, never mind the reality. German tuners (in fairness, Brabus is more than a tuner and has manufacturer status, just like Alpina) mostly stay in their lane when it comes to their affiliations with the big manufacturers.

Technical boss Jörg Gander has a side hustle in race-engineering Porsche 911s. He knows and loves them. But for now only the Turbo will be Brabused.
Richard Lane
Deputy road test editor

So Brabus has swerved off script, but don’t mistake the surprising existence of this 900 Rocket R – a €549,130 (£470,975), 25-off creation based on the 911 Turbo S – for rash decision-making. Brabus has long yearned to plough the Weissach furrow, so it has always been a matter of when, not if.

In any case, over-endowed Mercedes saloons will continue to be the beating heart of the business, as shown by the numerous half-finished AMG GT 4-Door Coupés, S-Classes and E-Classes in the workshop during our visit to the sprawling Bottrop facility.

A marauding, 8ft-tall Crawler (imagine a G-Wagen-style CFRP body on a dune-bashing tubular chassis) lurking in the corner also confirms that Brabus’s sense of humour remains in rude health.

Why do a Porsche? The reasons aren’t complicated. Brabus sought to build its most dynamic car ever and with it create an all-new Rocket – a badge reserved for only the most involved and powerful conversions. Brand allegiances aside, Brabus knows that in terms of natural agility and grip, Porsche has the better of Mercedes. It is, after all, the true sports car marque of the two.

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As for why the Turbo S was specifically chosen, again, not complicated. It’s the 911 that is most Brabusy. The Carrera isn’t wild enough and the GT3 is too racy. Neither quite tallies with the company’s unofficial ‘300kph with one hand on the wheel’ mantra, but the Turbo does. Power, security and relative luxury are in its DNA.

What turns a 911 Turbo S into a 900 Rocket R is split almost equally between what’s visible and what is hidden from view. A donor car is stripped then fitted with a 70mm-wider CFRP bodykit. The extra width is in the offset of the forged, turbo-disc wheels, rather than any changes to the suspension, and attention to detail is clear. Canyon-esque vents that inhale or expel airflow are artfully torn in the flanks and the ducktail spoiler flows into the rear haunches seamlessly. It's plenty lairy.

As for mechanicals, the Bilstein damper rates are a little firmer across the board, although they still work through the factory driving modes. Meanwhile, an Inconel exhaust, larger turbos and an additional ECU take power from 641bhp to 888bhp and torque from 590lb ft to 738lb ft. It’s an uplift that the fastest A-to-B car on the planet scarcely needed, but Brabus has always been about outrageous power, and its efforts with Porsche’s 3.7-litre flat six don't disappoint.

Brabus admits that the aesthetic of its cars matters to many clients as much as anything else, but the R’s aero is not without substance. The company uses Toyota’s wind tunnel in Cologne (which operated around the clock during Formula 1’s V10 era), and while this Rocket makes less downforce than the 911 Turbo S, high-speed stability is helped by a subtle increase in rake.

Top speed is pegged at 211mph, but only because that's what Continental’s SportContact 7 tyres are rated to. With the right rubber, the R would be faster. Maybe 240mph. After all, the PDK ’box is geared to 330mph.

Driving the Rocket R is – hold the front page – a lot like driving the regular Turbo S, although distinctions exist. The visible drop in ride height and the tightening up of vertical body movement results in a discernible uplift in responsiveness.

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Unexpectedly, the steering is lighter than standard. It’s fingertippy at speed. Mind you, it’s also susceptible to tramlining. Not so fingertippy. It’s still a terrifically precise helm, underlining the R’s usability – if you can stand the real but fabricated dump-valve whoosh.

Also note that the R rides nicely. Very nicely indeed. Brabus's cars are in general defined by their improbable power, but long-distance comfort is equally important to the company, hence its natural affinity with Mercedes saloons. This 911 Turbo-derived model isn't especially quiet at high speed but it has an effortlessly long stride and surprisingly silken gait. 

And what about performance? Oh boy, the R has it. The extra boost leaves this engine feeling less tame, but it picks up cleanly, is still so linear and never, ever lets up – at least not until well beyond 150mph. Neither is traction an issue, on dry asphalt anyway.

In truth, you only really begin to notice the extra oomph this Brabus has over the donor Turbo S when you're flat-out in the final thrid of the rev range. Most of the time, the thing's as sure-footed and rapid as the regular car, which is to say extremely.

There was a time when certain members of Mercedes’ board were commuting with a little Bottrop magic under the bonnet of their company cars. It’s unlikely that Oliver Blume and co will be seen in a 900 Rocket R, but were any of Porsche’s top brass ever to slide aboard, they might, I suspect, quite like it. This car preserves the broad-batted essence of the 992-generation Turbo S but brings a dash of GT3 RS-style flamboyance and drama.

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Richard Lane

Richard Lane, Autocar
Title: Deputy road test editor

Richard joined Autocar in 2017 and like all road testers is typically found either behind a keyboard or steering wheel (or, these days, a yoke).

As deputy road test editor he delivers in-depth road tests and performance benchmarking, plus feature-length comparison stories between rival cars. He can also be found presenting on Autocar's YouTube channel.

Mostly interested in how cars feel on the road – the sensations and emotions they can evoke – Richard drives around 150 newly launched makes and models every year. His job is then to put the reader firmly in the driver's seat.