Miguel Sánchez
MERCEDES BRABUS E500 W124 PHOTOS: BRING A TRAILER
In recent years the love for "Youngtimers". Said like this, one may not really know what we mean. However, it is something as common as recent or even pre-classical classics. That is, models that are around thirty years old. In this sense, one of the segments that is gaining more strength is that of sports saloons. After all, from the Renault Safrane Biturbo to the BMW M5s, the 90s were part of the golden age for these vehicles. An era in which the Mercedes Brabus.
Contrary to the M preparations at BMW or Safrane Biturbo himself, the Brabus they do not belong to the official range of the manufacturer. Far from it, his scope of tuning. At this point you may have raised an eyebrow because, why fool us, it is a term stigmatized by gardening and suburban parking lots. Something that, for better or for worse, was born in Germany in 1977 with companies such as Koenig Specials or Brabus itself. A coach so attached to the Stuttgart house that we should almost say Mercedes Benz Brabus.
Because, even if your case is not that of AMG -bought by Mercedes itself-, Brabus works exclusively on Mercedes models. Something to which, recently, their preparations for Smart and Maybach vehicles have been added. A panoply of interventions in which his work with the Mercedes E500 W124. A already powerful saloon sports car to which Brabus added some elements to extract more performance. A seductive example of the so on the rise "Youngtimers" which has just been sold this unit in the United States.
MERCEDES BRABUS. TUNING CONTENT, MORE WELL PREPARATION
We know that tuning is controversial, but we still think it appropriate to give it a try, especially when it drifts in preparation. And it is that, let's think: is it not more true and true that many aesthetic currents - classified as tacky at the time - have ended up making a respectable niche on the shelves of popular culture? Without going any further there we have the example of the North American Hot Rods. Pulling this thread we find Brabus as one of the most content tuning trainers. Very far from the excesses that broke Ferrari's patience when seeing how Koenig left his 512BB.
Except for monstrous six-wheeled creations, the truth is that the Mercedes brabus they are drinkable even for the most staunch critics. In fact, a good sample is this Mercedes benz brabus of 1991. Evolved from the factory Mercedes E500 W124, its aesthetics are restrained and its modifications moderate. Something that can not be seen as a but, since the original model itself was already quite vitaminized from the assembly line.
And is that the E500 it developed hand-in-hand between Mercedes and Porsche. Manufactured between 1990 and 1995, was based on the chassis of the popular W124 saloon, reinforced and adapted by Porsche to take on the strength of the 8-liter V5 from the SL (R129). An interesting creation designed to roll lightly on the autobahn, as evidenced by the four-speed automatic transmission. Precisely the definition of a sports saloon, sublimated in this Mercedes Brabus.
MERCEDES E500 W124 BRABUS. INCREASED DISPLACEMENT
Many of these sports saloons are also grouped within the category "Sleeper". Seemingly friendly and familiar cars but in reality they hide rabid engines. They go unnoticed by laymen, but a trained eye catches them the first time. In the case of this Mercedes brabus the most conclusive clue is the lowered height thanks to low suspensions. A more aggressive look that is also provided by the high-performance exhaust and the 18-inch three-spoke wheels.
Inside, the Recaro seats provide greater support, which is appreciated since the power of this Mercedes-Benz Brabus W124 E500 increases to undeclared horsepower - the factory setting is 320 hp - thanks to the extra liter given to its displacement. While the V8 M119 left the factory with five liters, the preparer managed to increase it to six. Undoubtedly the most important modification in this scarce version of Brabus, since the W124 E500 just over 10.000 units were manufactured.
Something that makes it a highly contested vehicle, highlighting the offer of any unit. Something that just happened on September 22 in the United States, where the one you see has been sold en Bring a trailer for a price of 65.000 dollars (55.463 euros). A good finish for this unit in excellent condition, which traveled from Germany to Japan in 1991 to remain there until its export to the United States in 2016. A perfect example of what was understood by a powerful saloon in the nineties.
