Brabus Bodo Arrives As A 986-HP Aston Martin With No Mercedes DNA

2027 Will be Big for Brabus

Founded by Bodo Buschmann and Klaus Brackmann in 1977, Brabus started out as a tuner primarily for Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Today, it's a manufacturer of high-performance vehicles, building some of the wildest and fastest cars ever made. By next year, the company will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and the party is already getting started this year.

Brabus has revealed the Bodo, and it's named after its late co-founder, who passed away in 2018. Had Buschman been around, he'd definitely approve of the car's insane specs and claims. With his son, Constantin, at the helm of the company, it's safe to say that Brabus' future still aligns with the original vision from nearly 50 years ago.

It's Not Based on a Mercedes-Benz

While we'd typically associate Brabus with Mercedes-Benz vehicles from the past and present, it has opened its doors to other brands in recent years. Has tuned Smart models before, but it now also transforms Bentleys, Porsches, Land Rovers, Lamborghinis (with the Urus, of all things), and even Aston Martins (through Startech) into ultra-luxury rockets. It's even dipped its toes into the world of motorcycles.

So, one would think that the Bodo (the car, not the person) would be based on a Mercedes. Surprisingly, Brabus chose the Aston Martin Vanquish as the basis for its tribute car. It then proceeded to thoroughly re-engineer the grand tourer to a point that the base vehicle is almost unrecognizable - not that we're complaining.

Cranked to 11

The car's bones are from Aston Martin, but everything else is from Brabus. Its exterior is completely redesigned, with its skin replaced by carbon fiber, resulting in a stunning shape that's both sinister and elegant. As for the interior, some parts may look Aston Martin, but there are more than enough changes to make it look different enough.

Extensive changes were also made to the suspension, featuring double-wishbone and multi-link arrangements developed with KW. It's going to need it, as the engine has been modified to kingdom come.

The 5.2-liter Aston Martin V12 gets a whole slew of upgrades to raise its power from 824 hp and 737 lb-ft to a staggering 986 hp and 885 lb-ft. Now is a good time to remind everyone that the Bodo, like the Vanquish, is rear-drive only. With that much power, stopping is perhaps even more important than going in the Bodo, so braking is provided by a set of carbon ceramic discs measuring 16.1 inches at the front and 14.1 inches at the rear. It also gets a deployable rear wing that props up at about 90 mph.

Epic Numbers

Brabus claims that the Bodo can hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3 seconds flat, which means its 0 to 60 times are likely a shade under that. Of course, that's achievable provided the driver doesn't end up roasting those rear tires in the first place. It can then hit 300 km/h (186 mph) in 23.9 seconds, and top speed is limited to 223 mph. We're genuinely curious how fast the car can actually go without restrictions.

Just 77 of these cars will ever be made, and they are on a per-order basis. The number refers to the year Brabus was founded, 1977. Then we get to the price, which starts at €1,000,000, or about $1,162,700 at current exchange rates. All things considered, that's not half bad for something that will most definitely appreciate.

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