New Brabus Rocket GTS Is A Mercedes-AMG SL Shooting Brake!

Though based on the Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance, the Brabus Rocket GTS redux of which demands a second-look, and with good reasons too.

Renowned German tuners Brabus recently took the wraps off its latest creation called the Rocket GTS. What’s interesting here besides the tuner’s usual array of ultra-high performance figures is the work done to transform what was once an open-top roadster into a ‘Shooting Brake’.

If you haven’t figured yet, the Rocket GTS is based on the Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance roadster. The transformation is quite extensive indeed as it saw Brabus create and integrate an entirely new roof and tailgate into the SL’s open-top design.

Effectively, the only ‘stock’ exterior parts from the original SL left were the headlights, taillights and side mirrors. Aside from which, as well as the newly added roof section, every exterior body panel was reproduced in its entirety out of lightweight carbon fibre.

Brabus has effectively turned what was an open-top roadster into a rather exquisite 'shooting brake' in its new Rocket GTS build.

The effort saw Brabus create and incorporate an entirely new roof plus tailgate section into the base SL's design, thus creating an arguably more 'practical' offshoot.

The end result sees the Rocket GTS boast an entirely new bodywork with a silhouette that’s very much akin to comparable shooting brakes like the BMW Z3 M Coupe and recent Z4-based Concept Touring Coupe.

Brabus adds that the new design was wind tunnel-tested and engineered to deliver “outstanding” stability, even when travelling at high speeds well past 300 KM/H. Much of this stems from the flat roofline, ducktail rear spoiler and aggressive rear diffuser element added.

Whilst on the exterior still, the Rocket GTS also rolls on Brabus Monoblock P Platinum Edition wheels with integrated carbon aeroblades designed for enhanced brake cooling. Notable too are the quad carbon-coated titanium tailpipes with active exhaust flaps.

Much of the exterior panels were built out of carbon fibre, and were wind tunnel-tested to deliver "outstanding" high-speed stability - even at speeds past 300 KM/H.

Said tailpipes detailed are primed for the tuned powertrain the Rocket GTS packs. As a refresher, the base SL 63 S E Performance packed a super-PHEV setup consisting of a 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo heart paired with a 400-volt plug-in hybrid (PHEV) e-motor and 6.1 kWh battery.

Whilst said base car offered a combined 804 HP and 1,420 NM to enable 0-100 KM/H in 2.9 secs and 317 KM/H V-max, Brabus’s tuning takes said figures up a few notches in the Rocket GTS.

Under the hood, the hand-built AMG super-PHEV powertrain has been beefed up to produce 1,000 PS - or 986 HP. Peak torque was also raised to 1,820 NM, but has been electronically 'toned down' to 1,620 NM to preserve the transmission.

Firstly, the V8 mill has been stroked up to 4.5-litre and tuned with significantly raised outputs. Paired with the carried-over PHEV setup, there’s now 986 HP (1,000 PS) and 1,620 NM in total, the latter having been ‘toned down’ electronically from 1,820 NM to protect the 9-speed automatic transmission too.

Altogether, the tuning by Brabus allow the Rocket GTS to despatch 0-100 KM/H sprints in 2.6 secs, 0-200 KM/H in 9.5 secs, and 0-300 KM/H in 23.6 secs. V-max, on the other hand, remains capped at 317 KM/H.

On board, the base SL's 2+2 cabin layout is retained, but the Brabus Masterpiece treatment sees a richer adoption of soft leather and alcantara upholstery.

The switch over from open-top roadster to hard-topped shooting brake sees the Rocket GTS trade away its retractable soft-top mechanism in favour of increased luggage capacity behind the cabin which still retains its stock 2+2 seating layout.

Typical of Brabus, the cabin itself has been reduxed with the Brabus Masterpiece treatment featuring rich use of soft leather and alcantara upholstery. The first build pictured sees that treatment feature a combination of slate gray and jet black shades with light gray stitching.

Like the exterior, Brabus also laced the cabin with a plethora of carbon fibre trims and inserts, along with the usual Brabus emblems plus Shadow Gray accents.

Brabus plans to limit production of the Rocket GTS, though no number was specificed. Instead, the Rocket GTS is listed on its website with an eye-watering starting price of just under €1 million.

With the Rocket GTS, Brabus has indeed elevated itself from mere ‘tuner’ to a proper ‘coachbuilder’ of sorts, thus making this creation a stellar stand-out when compared to what it did with its other Mercedes-AMG SL-based build 750 Bodo Buschmann Edition.

And like that open-top special, Brabus plans on limiting how many of these special shooting brakes it will build and offer, though an exact production figure remains undisclosed for now. Naturally, each will come at a justifiably stiff price tag too.

In fact, Brabus has already listed the Rocket GTS on its official website with an eye-watering starting price tag of €945,762.50 – approx. RM4,460,073.19. Now that’s arguably a fitting price tag for a statement piece that the Brabus Rocket GTS effectively is…