Brabus Bodo Coupe Concept Is a Real Heavy HitterBrabus (Brabus)Brabus has been building special Mercedes-Benzes for nearly 50 years.Technically, the Bodo is based on an Aston Martin, but it still features 12-cylinder Mercedes power.With nearly 1000 horsepower and rear-wheel drive, it's a traditional GT layout with modern power.Like AMG, Brabus was founded by two people. Unlike AMG, only one of them actually had the desire to build the company. Bodo Buschmann, the "Bus" in Brabus, was the brains behind the operation, and his friend Klaus Brackmann was just helping out; the latter sold his company shares to Buschmann for just 100 Euros.Brabus (Brabus)That kind of drive and vision is quite literally singular, and when you apply the name of a founder like Bodo to a car, it better be something pretty special. Brabus's latest offering, the Bodo, is just that, a huge bruiser of a coupe that's the kind of muscular two-door coupe that Mercedes used to build, but doesn't really do much anymore. It's long, low, and sleek, comes with the almighty punch of a twin-turbo V-12, and it boasts a claimed top speed of 224 mph. There aren't many cars on the autobahn that'd force an AMG to keep to the right, but this German batmobile will do just that.AdvertisementAdvertisementBrabus is a tuning house, albeit a well-established one, rather than an outright manufacturer like AMG. The Bodo, named for the company's late founder, is actually based on an Aston Martin Vanquish, rather than a Mercedes, though the 5.2-liter V-12 is sourced from Benz. Breathed on by Brabus's engineers, it's good for 986 horsepower.Obviously, that's a lot of power, and Brabus keeps things gloriously old school by sending all of it to the rear wheels. The Bodo is a leather-lined sledgehammer of a thing, relying on 325-section-width ZR-rated tires out back to contain the fury of 12 cylinders huffing boost.On the inside, it's all black leather, suede, and carbon fiber, with a panoramic glass roof to let the light in. The proportions are like a modern take on the C126-chassis Mercedes 560 SEC coupe of the late 1980s. Point that long hood at the horizon, flex your right foot, and you'll warp there posthaste.Brabus (Brabus)The last car to exude this much supervillain presence was the 1925 Jonckheere Phantom, the "round door Rolls" that currently sits in the Petersen Museum collection. The Brabus Bodo is thoroughly modern, but it captures old-fashioned big coupe charisma perfectly. The cost for all this opulence? The equivalent of roughly $1.16 million.AdvertisementAdvertisementYou'd have to think Herr Buschmann would approve of such a machine, bold and brash. After all, he was so convinced a regular strength Mercedes-Benz wasn't going to be good enough that he founded an entire company to make something more special.➡️ Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.Shop New Cars Shop Used CarsYou Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029
