Brabus Ultimate 112 (2008) driven CAR review

You’ll know Brabus as a manufacturer of bonkers horsepower mega Mercs. But the tuner is also the official in-house performance partner for Smart and has been turning its expertise to the diminutive Fortwo and dearly departed Roadster for some years.

Official status hasn’t reined in the instinct for going a bit bonkers every now and then though. First there was the V6 biturbo Roadster Coupe. And now we have the lairiest, most in your face Fortwo ever seen: the Ultimate 112.

The 112 derives from the pferdstärke power output Brabus has managed to tickle from the familiar 999cc triple. And the Ultimate bit? Well, Brabus would argue that derives from the fact that this car wears a unique bodykit, 18-inch wheels, ice white paint and has a bespoke interior. However we can’t take our eyes off the €45,900 pricetag…

You said how much for the Brabus Ultimate 112?

Yup, at current exchange rate that works out at over £36K. Or more than double the cost of the production Brabus Smart Fortwo. Or, to put it another way, £1500 per horsepower gained. But of course that is an attempt to rationalise a luxury product using conventional parameters.

And Brabus buyers aren't a rational bunch. These are, after all, people who reckon 720bhp is a sensible amount of power for a CLS. Or that G-Wagens aren’t complete without a V12 biturbo engine conversion and full multi-media fit. In this context Brabus bills the Ultimate 112 as a companion piece to tuned SLRs and suchlike. And you’re unlikely to see an Ultimate 112 towed behind a Brabus’d Maybach, motorhome style, but if you asked nicely something could probably be arranged.

Brabus can prepare your Ultimate 112 in the colour of your choosing, one customer apparently having the exterior paint and leather matched to his SLR and another choosing NATO-spec olive drab. Brabus has even built a Polizei version with blue lights to promote a German road safety initiative.