Brabus 800 Black & Gold Edition

The German-based and German-focused performance tuner Brabus has been churning out a laundry list of the most desirable, highest-performing Teutonic sports cars since 1977. While specializing in Mercedes-Benzes and Maybachs, they’ve also received notoriety for their work on Porsches, Rolls-Royces, and even the most humble Smart ForTwo. Some of their most noteworthy vehicles specifically are their riffs on the iconic SLR McLaren, the monstrous 6×6 G 63 pickup, their E Class-based Black Baron, and their “900” series of sport sedans and SUVs (including the 900 G Class). In fact, after AMG themselves, Brabus is the largest Mercedes tuner in the world, and perhaps the most well-known.

While they maintain a steady lineup of “production” vehicles to this day, they also create some wild, incredibly exclusive autos of all sorts that serve as a masterclass in design, performance engineering, and craftsmanship. The standard G Class frequently serves as a canvas for their handiwork, and the Brabus 800 Black & Gold Edition ups the ante for G Classes the world over. Let’s dive into this G 63-based hyper-SUV, going from the outside, to the inside, to what’s under the hood.

The Exterior

Most notably, the Black & Gold incorporates Brabus’ “Widestar” widebody styling, which you can find throughout a few other G Class models that Brabus offers. Nearly every body panel has been substantially restyled or replaced to provide a tremendously aggressive street presence, and carbon fiber has been liberally applied to the construction of the mirrors, large hood scoop, LED light bar mounted to the A pillars, and widened fender flares. In fact, the “Widestar” styling adds an extra 4 inches of width over the standard G 63. Those fender flares also feature massive air vents behind all of the wheels, which ostensibly help to cool the brakes during more spirited driving sessions.

There are quite a few other significant changes and improvements throughout the exterior of the vehicle, as well. Brabus badging and logos do replace the factory Mercedes adornments in the usual places, and the Black & Gold edition goes beyond that, featuring its own specialized badging thoughtfully placed around the vehicle. The forged, 23-inch monoblock Brabus Y wheels are painted gold to provide just the right amount of visual contrast. Additionally, they’ve removed the spare tire carrier and added another custom Brabus badge to the rear. All in all, what you’ll find on the outside of the 800 Black and Gold are a series of carefully thought out (and pretty tasteful by aftermarket standards) improvements and refinements which do serve the street-focused nature of the Black & Gold very well.

The Interior

If you have more than a passing interest in the world of top-dollar G Wagons, you’re likely already familiar with some of the interiors that these things can sport; quilted leather, carbon fiber, and anodizing everywhere. Well, the 800 Black & Gold edition has all of this; and might just have the nicest G Class interior we’ve ever seen. From the second you open the door to climb into the cockpit, fine, scalloped black leather surrounds you on the seats, footwells, and door panels. LED mood lighting, hidden around the cabin, provides some subtle color and shadows to accent the beautiful leatherwork. Again, even by G Class standards, this is a cut above the usual interior treatments, and it doesn’t stop with the upholstery.

All of the brightwork in the cabin is either bespoke to Brabus, or is custom plated/anodized in a rich gold color, and set against ample carbon fiber panels in the dash and center console. Additionally, the stitching on the leather is all gold as well (see where the “Black & Gold” name comes from?). Brabus truly left no stone unturned when it came to the interior of the Black & Gold, even extending back to the rear seats (which are usually simply glossed over).

Look up, and you’ll find the headliner adorned with tiny LED lights. Brabus calls this their “Starry Sky” headliner, and it provides a beautiful, user-controllable ambiance inside the cabin. If this sounds familiar, it’s because Rolls-Royce has been offering their own similar package for some time now.

Two bucket seats in the rear replace the standard bench, and feature all of the fabulous leatherwork as well as heating and cooling. The proprietary center console separating the rear passengers also features an inlaid touch screen to control the sound system, reading lights, headliner, heated or cooled cup holders, and even a code-operated safe.

While the exterior modifications and additional performance that Brabus has packed into the 800 Black & Gold are certainly noteworthy and eye-catching in their own right, the sheer quality and disegno of the re-imagined interior might truly be the heart of this particular G Wagon. If a world-class interior is something that you place a high value on, the Brabus 800 Black & Gold should absolutely be on your short list of vehicles to check out in person.

Performance Gains

Once again, Brabus pulled out all of the stops with the motor in this particular offering. Well-known for their hot-rodded treatments of Mercedes motors driven by twin turbos, they didn’t deviate from their formula here, but instead took it and ran with it as far as it would go. As with their other “800” series offerings, the V8 motor in the Black & Gold is good for a staggering 800 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque. All of this power is good to propel this specific G Wagon to 62 miles an hour in just a hair over 4 seconds – a truly remarkable feat given the sheer amount of luxury features crammed into the Black & Gold. Another appreciated feature is the electronically-controlled exhaust flap, and a very literally named “Coming Home” mode which reduces the overall volume for times when keeping a lower profile is important. Yokohama performance tires help transfer all of that power to the pavement and keep you on the road and, as with the exterior changes, speak to the street-focused nature of this particular offering.

Conclusion

Overall, the Brabus 800 Black & Gold edition is another iconic offering from a pillar of the German aftermarket. It’s not just another “stick some shiny badges on it and add a couple hundred thousand dollars to the price” type of deal that is occasionally seen from other, lesser manufacturers. With a starting price of around $380,000, a vehicle isn’t for the faint of pocketbook or for those looking for the showiest or loudest supercar on the block. Instead, the Black & Gold is for those who can pull up a chair, take a seat in their garage, and enjoy a quiet afternoon soaking in every handmade detail of a vehicle that is built to last generations.