Brabus Takes Title of Worlds Fastest Sedan with New E V12 Biturbo

The title of Worlds Fastest Sedan has just exchanged hands... once again. It appears that every month or two, this prestigious title of who can make the fastest street legal sedan bounces back and forth between manufacturers and affiliated tuners. This time the winner goes to Brabus, the high-end Mercedes-Benz tuner, with their latest creation, the E V12 Biturbo, which grabbed the title during German magazine Auto Motor und Sports high-speed test in Nardo, Italy, and in so doing went where no other Mercedes-Benz, or at least no Mercedes-Benz sedan, has ever gone before, the far side of 217 mph.

Its designation a jumble of letters and numbers, the E V12 Biturbo is the newest generation (W 211) of the famous E V12 ultra performance sedan. Packing a twin-turbocharged V12 engine that produces 640-horsepower, it managed to smash the existing record by 18.8 mph.

The E V12 name is no stranger to holding a world record: the previous generation W/S 210 generation E V12 rocketed to an electronically limited 205 mph in 1996, obtaining the title of worlds fastest sedan then. The new car rolls in the tire-treads of the original, returning the title back to Brabus.

Making a heavy, full-size luxury sedan reach 217.4 mph is no easy task, requiring Brabus most powerful motor. The SV 12 biturbo was the engine of choice; however, modifications to the engine bay were required before the gigantic motor could be shoehorned in. The SV 12 Biturbo engine is a 6.3-liter twin-turbo V12, which started out life as the same twin-turbo motor that powers 600 series S, CL, and SL vehicles. From there, Brabus installed a longer-stroke sports crankshaft, new piston rods and larger bore pistons to increase power from 5.5 liters to a massive 6.3 liters.

In addition to making a larger motor, re-machined cylinder heads, a high-performance stainless exhaust system and a reprogrammed engine management system help the E V12 Biturbo deliver a maximum punch of 640-horsepower produced at 5,100 rpm. Equally, if not more impressively is the torque figure, equaling 757 lb-ft of torque, which is produced from just 1,750 rpm. This enormous amount of power and torque is what helps the E-Class achieve its record-breaking top speed and acceleration times. The E V12 Biturbo can sprint to 60 mph in only 4.5 seconds, to 124 mph in 11.7 seconds, and as far as what is known, is one of only a handful of cars that can hit 186 mph within 30.6 seconds.

Countering this enormous straight-line potential is a completely reworked braking system. Brabus has fitted the E V12 Biturbo with lightweight, fade-resistant 14.8-inch carbon ceramic discs up front with twelve-piston calipers, and gigantic 14.0-inch cross-drilled steel discs with six-piston calipers in rear. In addition, the system uses the E-Classs electro-hydraulic SBC braking system and ABS to ensure that stops are safe, prompt and with consistent pedal feel. Brabus has also modified the E-Class stock suspension, fitting extra-stiff sway bars, and lowering the ride height by 1.2 inches with comfort-tuned sports springs which help boost the handling of the car without hampering the ride quality.

To help the E V12 Biturbo slice through the air at such high levels of speed, Brabus created a body spoiler kit designed specifically for reducing lift. A front skit, with air optimizing lip, side skirts, rear apron and tail spoiler all aid in countering the negative effects of lift on the car.

That aside, they also add to the cars stealthy looks. Tucked underneath the fenders are light-weight Monoblock VI multi-piece alloy wheels designed by Brabus. These gigantic wheels, which measure 8.5 x 19 and 9.5 x 19 inches, are wrapped in high-speed capable Pirelli tires that are 255/35 ZR 19 and 285/30 ZR 19 size.

Though the target of the E V12 Biturbo was to achieve the title of being the fastest street legal sedan on the market, every Brabus is built to be a comfortable, luxurious cruiser. Extra attention was paid to the interior, particularly the choice of materials used, which includes special extra-soft Mastik leather with Alcantara inserts for the seats, while the traditional wooden trim has been replaced by real carbon fiber. If desired, Brabus can fit a state-of-the-art multimedia system to entertain rar seat passengers, should they tire of the scenery. It consists of a DVD player, complete with a single LCD screen mounted in the back of each front headrest.

Brabus plans on building the E V12 Biturbo on a small scale, so production numbers are expected to be limited. No surprise either: the price tag of the worlds fastest sedan is exorbitantly high - Brabus MSRP for the super-sedan is 298,000 euros (equivalent to $360,000).