BRABUS cuts the roof off a 900hp G-Class

This is not simply a G 63 with its metal roof cut off. BRABUS developed a bespoke two-piece electric soft top and produced more than 500 new components for it. The aim was to retain the G-Class’s boxy body proportions and restore the required structural rigidity after the roof was removed.

4.5-litre V8 produces 662 kW

The standard Mercedes-AMG G 63’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 was, naturally, not enough for BRABUS. In Bottrop, displacement was increased to 4.5 litres, while bespoke turbochargers and a new exhaust system were fitted, among other changes.

The result is 662 kW, or 900 hp, and 1,250 Nm. To protect the transmission, electronics limit torque in the car to 1,050 Nm.

The all-wheel-drive colossus accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds. BRABUS limits top speed to 240 km/h because of the tyres. By comparison, the factory G 63 produces 430 kW and 850 Nm, meaning BRABUS adds no fewer than 232 kW.

Official fuel consumption is 14.8 l/100 km, while CO₂ emissions are 338 g/km. It is unlikely anyone will decide against buying a 900hp open-top G-Class because of those figures.

Removing the roof required a serious conversion

It is the roof that makes this car technically more interesting than yet another 900hp BRABUS.

The soft top locks onto a reinforced windscreen frame, while a carbon-fibre structure at its front helps it retain its shape at high speed. BRABUS had to reinforce the body further, as removing the roof directly affects structural rigidity.

BRABUS has therefore not revived the old G-Class Cabriolet merely as a nostalgic design exercise. The 900 Rocket Edition Cabrio combines the modern W465 G 63’s technology with a genuinely re-engineered open body.

The exterior is completed by a wide Rocket body kit, extensive visible carbon fibre and large forged wheels. The V8 exhaust exits through side pipes positioned ahead of the rear wheels. The valved system allows drivers to choose between a more assertive Sport mode and a more restrained “Coming Home” setting.

Ten cars, full stop

There is little point discussing the usual Mercedes-AMG G 63 competition in relation to the BRABUS 900 Rocket Edition Cabrio. Limited to 10 cars, the series belongs instead in the world of collector special editions.

And perhaps this is the most fitting way to bring back the G-Class Cabriolet. Mercedes itself ended production of the classic open-top G-Class long ago, but BRABUS has revived the idea in the most unreasonable form possible: a 4.5-litre V8, 662 kW, 3.7 seconds to 100 km/h and a soft top. Almost entirely pointless. That is precisely why it works.