The Brabus Bodo Is A $1.2 Million Grand Tourer With A 986-HP Twin Turbo V12
Brabus is back in black with an ultra-limited “Masterpiece” supercar honoring its founder.
Since its 1977 founding by Bodo Buschmann, the Brabus “B” logo has come to mean aggressive refinement and the literal empowering of primarily Mercedes models but also Bentleys, performance boats, high-end bikes, the Lamborghini Urus, and other covetable vehicles that well-heeled customers would like to make more menacing. The culmination of Brabus’s five decades arrives in the concisely named Bodo grand tourer from the brand’s Masterpiece collection of highly customized supercars.
“Nearly fifty years ago, my father decided to start his own business. His passion is what built Brabus,” explains Brabus CEO and owner Constantin Buschmann. “However, there was one car he would often talk about, which, in the end, he never got to realize. It was a dream he had for a very long time. Today, we are honoring his legacy by finally bringing this dream to life. And, of course, it can carry only one name: Bodo.”
The GT’s almost entirely carbon body—the panoramic roof is glass—is somewhat curiously based on the Aston Martin Vanquish, according to Car and Driver. But its heart is fittingly from Mercedes—a twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12 equipped with “flow-optimized” four-valve cylinder heads, tweaked fuel injection, and Brabus’s hi-po turbo system. The resulting power, channeled through an eight-speed automatic transmission, amounts to 986 horses and 885 pound-feet of torque that’s consistently available from 2,900 to 5,000 rpm. It’ll best almost all GTs’ speed benchmarks: 62 mph comes in just 3 seconds, on the way to 124 mph in 8.5 seconds, 186 mph in 23.9 seconds, and an limited top end of 223 mph.
When it comes to brand identity, styling is tantamount to performance increases, and the Bodo is a thing of evil beauty, wearing an all-piano-black finish that dresses the vehicle from its high-gloss carbon shell to its wheels. Extra attention was given to its front, where LED matrix headlights, a striking radiator grille featuring the BRABUS emblem and 13 vertical slats, and integrated RAM-AIR ducts further distinguish the Bodo from its Vanquish roots.
The diffuser integrated beneath provides downforce and visually highlights the exhaust system, which terminates with two pairs of vertically stacked rectangular tailpipes. Above is an electroniclally deployable two-stage rear spoiler, which repositions itself to optimize aerodynamics at different speeds but also functions as an air brake above 87 mph. Somewhat similarly, the Brabus Bodo’s double-wishbone suspension features a lift system for both the front and rear axles that drops or raises the vehicle depnding on which side of 28 mph its on.
Occupants are welcomed by stainless-steel Brabus entry panels and the embroidered signature of the vehicle’s namesake integrated into the door panels. The car’s silhouette is elegantly embroided on the backs of ergonomically contoured seats, which are designed to provide long-haul comfort without sacrificing the support needed for dynamic driving. Look closely at the seats’ layered leather clamshells, and you’ll find more Brabus logos. This quilting also extends to the leather-trimmed cockpit floor, luggage compartment, floor mats and trunk liner. Meanwhile, the flat-bottom steering wheel, carbon-fiber pedals, and matching footrest excude supercar-esque sportiness.
Completing the Bodo’s package are vehicle keys are wrapped in matching leather, a leather Brabus “Weekender” bag, and a blockchain-based Digital Product Passport integrated directly into a dedicated Spec Plate located in the luggage compartment. Developed in collaboration with the Aura Blockchain Consortium, the system provides verified documentation of authenticity, ownership, and vehicle specification.
As a tribute to Brabus’s founding year, the Bodo is limited to just 77 examples priced at $1.2 million each. Tap here for more info.