BRABUS 900 Crawler – 900bhp Desert Off-Roader

It’s the season of wacky fun vehicles again; so have you ever wondered what might happen if you were to cross a boxy 4×4 with a classic dune buggy? Following on the heels of the 800 Adventure XLP Mercedes G-Class from a couple of years ago, BRABUS is now offering us another 4×4 Mercedes-based vehicle in the shape of the limited edition BRABUS 900 Crawler.

Crawler as a name might not be doing this dune hopping monster any favours, the BRABUS Crawler is a 900bhp stripped back Mercedes G-Wagen built to celebrate the 45th birthday of BRABUS. It’s not road legal, so BRABUS has been able to let their wild side run free on this off-roader. Consisting of carbon-fibre and a lightweight tubular chassis frame, the BRABUS Crawler reminds of the sort of vehicle we might see Matt Damon cruising around inside during the opening scenes of The Bourne Supremacy in Goa (if it was road legal). It really does look like it’s been built for the casual sunny holiday environment.

Looks can be deceptive though and the BRABUS Crawler, with 900bhp on tap, is an off-road vehicle designed for exhilarating fun. It’s powered by the BRABUS Rocket 900 V8 twin-turbo 4.5-litre engine and offers up 922lb ft of torque. 4-wheel drive is permanent, and everything is controlled via a 9-speed gearbox. With all that power and a lightened body, 0-62mph is gained in just 3.4 seconds, while top speed is limited to 100mph – this is to protect the huge off-road tyres that sit astride 20-inch Monoblock HD forged wheels. Ground clearance is a worry-eliminating 53cm and BRABUS gives the Crawler its own in-house suspension allowing 160mm of travel with adjustable shocks. A lightbar sits atop the roof – a roof which adds extra protection and a screen against the sun – along with a rear spoiler.

Inside, the Crawler gets 4 very exposed Recaro seats, while the interior itself consists of more carbon-fibre. There are no doors, and there are no windows – not even at the front, so don’t forget the goggles. The steering wheel is courtesy of Mercedes and a GPS off-road navigation system allows makes sure you won’t get lot among the dunes.

BRABUS describes the finish and ‘black and bold’ – put it all together and you get one seriously tough looking fun off-roader. There will only be 15 vehicles built over a period of three years mind, and each one will see you back £633,000.

Images: brabus.com