Exclusive: Is this Brabus’s craziest creation yet? Inside the new $840,000 Crawler

Brabus is known for building some insane machines, but the Crawler is one of its craziest and most rare creations ever.

Supercar Blondie was given an exclusive first look at the Crawler way out in the Emirati desert and got to have a proper test drive of what will be one of only 15 ever made.

It might look like a G-Wagen, but don’t let its face deceive you. This beast is all Brabus underneath: “Body, frame, tires, everything!”

WATCH THE BRABUS CRAWLER REVEAL:

Cloaked in unique carbon fiber bodywork, the Crawler rides on 20-inch rims shod in massive 40-inch, off-road tires.

They are so big that the 20-inch rims look tiny.

With no doors or windows, even at the front, the Crawler’s structure is centered around its strong, red-painted roll bars that surround the open cabin.

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Given how high the Brabus Crawler rides, Sergi points out one of his favorite touches is how exposed otherwise hidden components, like the exhaust, are.

“From the normal G-Wagen, you always have these exposed exhaust pipes on the side, but what I think is cool is that you can see this exhaust pipe all the way [up to behind] the front tire,” he points out.

“What it looks like, and what it screams, is ‘off-road vehicle’,” Supercar Blondie Alex Hirschi agrees, noting that the Crawler isn’t road-legal as it sits.

“However, in some markets, with a few changes, it could be made road legal – I suspect we’re gonna see this car on the roads in the UAE.”

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The features of the Brabus Crawler

With its interior sporting Recaro carbon-fiber bucket seats and four-point racing harnesses, the team were sure to be solidly strapped into the Crawler’s open cockpit.

It’s quite a climb up into it, with Alex noting, “This is why I don’t wear skirts ever! Exactly for this reason”, as she ascends its side steps.

However, with incredibly soft padding on the seats covered in a waterproof material Brabus uses on its custom boat designs, they were ultra-comfortable.

To keep the wind out of your face, the Brabus Crawler does come with a custom carbon fiber helmet – which even has Bluetooth to connect to the vehicle’s walkie-talkie system.

Beyond the air-conditioning, the driver has a digital instrument cluster, with a navigation system for the passenger.

There’s a push-button start; front, center and rear differential locks; and the usual array of leather, suede and anodised red trim on the steering wheel.

The Brabus Crawler’s mega power output of 900hp is courtesy of the engine from the Brabus Rocket 900 and GLS 900.

“With these tires and this kind of [suspension] lift, you’re flying!” Sergi predicts.

“This is so cool!” Alex says after getting behind the wheel, proceeding to give it the beans on the sand right from the get-go.

“It has so much power, it’s unbelievable. It’s 500kg lighter than the standard G-Wagen, it suits it – it feels so light and so powerful.”

Although 15 Brabus Crawlers will eventually be built, it will be at the rate of just five cars a year, so expect these to be an incredibly rare sight.

Priced from $840,000 – not as ludicrous as you’d perhaps expect for a car so rare – all facets of it will be customizable, from whether it wears exposed carbon or painted bodywork, down to the color of the roll cage and suspension components.

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