A 1,000 bhp shooting brake from the renowned German tuning house

You need to get horse manure to the allotment quickly. Very quickly indeed. Here, we humbly suggest, is the 1,000 bhp answer: the frankly bonkers Brabus Rocket GTS shooting brake. It’s fast, very fast.

Is a 197 mph top speed enough? With 60 mph reached in 2.7 seconds? Brabus, the renowned Mercedes-Benz tuning house and occasional remanufacturer think so and we’re happy to take their word for it. The basis here is the already snarling Mercedes-AMG SL 63, engine department more than somewhat upgraded.

Under the hood is a 4.5-litre twin-turbo V8 producing - after Brabus tweaks including special crankshaft, upgraded turbocharger and forged pistons - 796 bhp. Of course that’s not enough, so there’s also a hybrid system producing an additional 204 bhp. The result is your handy new runabout will have 13 bhp more available than the original Bugatti Veyron. You can govern the sound it makes too, from a whisper to V8 scream.

All of this potency is clothed in a wind-tunnel crafted carbon-fibre car silhouette whose form Brabus describe as “sleek and menacing hyper gran turismo shooting brake”. Materials used are particularly lightweight and strong carbon fibre, shaped using cutting-edge Formula One style autoclave processes. The body is left unpainted, the bare carbon fibre signalling both stealth and authenticity.

There is precedence for this shape of unlikely supercar, of course. Aficionados may have noted a passing resemblance to BMW’s skunkworks M-Coupé of the late 1990s, which is an excellent thing in our book. And among supercar estates, Audi’s V10 engined RS6 aimed at the same thing, albeit with a mere 572 bhp available and rather less carbon fibre. But it’s no Brabus.

Because as with any Brabus creation it is the detailing here that impresses most and will draw in the collectors who are surely even now queuing up to add the Rocket GTS to their fleets. The front apron reduces lift at high speed with a relatively discreet spoiler. Side skirts integrate with bulging rear wheel arches to create a distinct air of post-apocalyptic presence.

Brabus Rocket GTS: Through the door

Inside, all is bespoke with lashings of structural carbon fibre and snug room for four. To the rear there’s that hatchback for your horticultural needs or high-end luggage for a weekend somewhere at the end of an autobahn. Beneath the hatch a classic Brabus finishing touch: a set of four carbon-cased tailpipes, fully illuminated, say Brabus who add that these are more than just cosmetic, since they’re “perfected in the wind tunnel”. Of course they are: it’s a Brabus after all.

So you want one, yes? First, remember that the shooting brake design makes this the most practical of supercars. Brabus tell us that the Rocket GTS “is built to order in a limited-edition production according to individual specification”, which is code for if you have to ask, then you can’t afford it. We can’t but we’re saving up anyway: previous Brabus Rocket editions suggest we’ll need around £600,000. See you up at the allotment.

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