Think of Brabus as the Emeril Lagasse of the Mercedes-Benz tuning world. Brabus takes the German manufacturer?s products and kicks them up a notch, to borrow the chef’s favorite expression. The latest Mercedes model to get the Brabus treatment is the Mercedes-AMG C63 S convertible. Dubbed the Brabus 650 cabrio, the two-door droptop adds more spice to what is already a pretty hot factory offering.
The 503-hp C63 S is already a blindingly quick car. In our testing, the cloth-topped machine pushed its way to 60 mph from a standstill in a mere 3.9 seconds, and Mercedes claims a governed top speed of 174 mph. Brabus, though, took it upon itself to improve the C63 S’s twin-turbocharged V-8 by replacing the two turbochargers and incorporating a new ECU. Brabus says it added another 138 horses to the C63 S’s stable, bringing total output to 641 horsepower. Torque also grows from 516 lb-ft to a tire-shredding 604, all of which is available at 1750 rpm. The company claims the extra oomph propels the 650 cabrio to 60 mph in less than 3.7 seconds, while top speed rises to an even 200 mph. Brabus says a governor kicks in at the two-century mark, and that the 650 cabrio could go even faster. Alas, Brabus didn’t say how much faster; however, the car does sport a 340 km/h (211 mph) speedometer.
Further adding to the 650 cabrio?s menace are a set of Brabus-branded black 20-inch wheels, a body kit with matte or high-gloss carbon-fiber detailing, coil-over springs w...