Vehicle Description
This 2002 Mercedes-Benz Brabus CL 6.1 once again proves that the
best way to get A-list performance and luxury is to buy a car
that's a few years old. Showing just 50,761 actual miles and with
an original sticker price (in 2002 dollars, by the way) of
$125,000, this might just be the biggest bang for the buck in
German sports coupes.
Brabus is one of the best-known of the Mercedes-Benz tuners,
turning out some pretty impressive hardware that neatly improves
every aspect of performance without compromising legendary
Mercedes-Benz reliability or luxury. This sleek sliver coupe
started life as a CL500, already one of the top-of-the-line cars,
and to it they added upgrades like new front and rear bumpers and
some subtle badging. Many folks won't notice, which is how Brabus
likes to do things, but those who recognize performance and polish,
the Brabus stands out. With so few miles, it still looks
spectacular, with icy silver paint that shows off what you get for
your six-figure purchase price and excellent fit and finish. You
can't see where the OEM work ends and Brabus's add-ons were
installed, and the car has a very integrated look that enhances
what was arguably one of the best Mercedes designs of the early
2000s. Perhaps the most telling upgrade are the four exhaust tips
out back, but by the time anyone notices those, it's probably too
late.
Inside, Brabus delivers a host of upgrades, ranging from a custom
steering wheel and shift knob to new door sill plates advertising
that this is no garden-variety CL, and even custom floor mats. You
get an inkling as to where their priorities lie with a new 200 MPH
speedometer, and this CL will use most of it because Brabus not
only adds horsepower but also removes the factory's 155 MPH speed
limiter. The comfortable leather sport seats are in excellent
condition, the burled walnut throughout the interior is real, and
every creature comfort item you can imagine was included as part of
the package. Obviously it all works, even the entertainment system
and navigation screen in the center stack. You'll find it's easy to
get comfortable behind the wheel and it's ideal for long stretches
of highway where the Brabus just eats up pavement with ease. The
back seat is reasonably well-sized for adults and there's a giant
trunk that reinforces the idea that this car is a substitute for an
airplane, not mere transportation.
Brabus punches out the CL500's V8 to 6.1 liters (up from 5.0), with
the result being 427 horsepower and 458 pounds of torque, all
without blowers or turbos. Nice, right? It's dressed in a custom
carbon fiber cover that advertises the Brabus 6.1 living underneath
and the custom sport exhaust certainly has a deeper, throatier tone
that stands out. On the other hand, it starts easily, idles
smoothly, and goes about its business without any indication that
it has been modified, a testament to the careful electronic tuning
that went on behind the scenes. Underneath, the suspension was
lowered and upgraded, the brakes are giant 15-inch front rotors
with 6-piston calipers, and the 5-speed automatic transmission
snaps off shifts like a rifle shot. It's supple enough to drive
every day, but claws at the pavement with a tenacity that the stock
CL just can't match. Part of that is surely due to the massive
20-inch 2-piece wheels, which carry sticky 255/35/20 performance
radials.
Beautifully built and still insanely fast, this Teutonic hammer is
an incredible performer available for pennies on the dollar. Call
now!
