1989 Mercedes Brabus 3.6S Lightweight reborn

The Mercedes Brabus 3.6S Lightweight is a wild concept from the 1980s primetime for German saloon cars. 20 years later, an original 2-seater has been built by Brabus and the unique car is now for sale.

1989 Mercedes Brabus 3.6S Lightweight

The brutal Mercedes Brabus 3.6S Lightweight

In the mid-1980s, fast compact German saloons like the BMW E30 and the Mercedes 190 were extremely popular, and many tuning companies competed about who could make the most powerful edition. In 1988, Brabus made the 190E 3.6S prototype. It was a raw and lightweight design that pushed the limits, but the lack of air conditioning and rear seats seemed too wild for customers, and the model was changed.

Related: What makes the E46 BMW M3 CSL so special?

1989 Mercedes Brabus 3.6S Lightweight

Ordering a new original 2-seater

20 years after the 1988 prototype, the PR Director for Brabus, Sven Gramm commenced a project to build another example of the original 2-seater 3.6S lightweight. It took Brabus 10 months to complete the car and they used the original service book and instruction manual as well as a huge photographic record to get every detail right. To underline its historical importance, the finished car was displayed at the Mercedes Benz World exhibition.

1989 Mercedes Brabus 3.6S Lightweight

The Signal Red Brabus 3.6S Lightweight

The Brabus 3.6S lightweight in Signal Red 564 is in mint condition and has proper racing aesthetics with the visible roll cage. The usual luxurious interior of a Mercedes has been left out for the original racing trim with bolstered Recaro Kevlar race seats and red four-point harnesses.

interior and a special speedometer calibrated to 300 km/h

The car has racing red details in the interior and a special Brabus speedometer calibrated to 300 km/h. Instead of the radio, an additional gauge has been installed.

Recaro Kevlar race seats and red four-point harnesses.

The heavily modified engine is beautifully presented without any modern plastic covers and especially the exhaust manifold is a work of art.

Mercedes 2.6 M103 straight six
Mercedes 2.6 M103 straight six producing 286 bhp and 269 lb/ft of torque

Specifications of the Brabus 3.6S Lightweight:

Top speed: 158 miles/h
0-60: 6.3 seconds
BHP: 268
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Engine: straight-six, 12 valve

Brabus special equipment

  • Heavily modified M103 engine increased to 3.6 liters
  • Brabus bonnet, front and rear spoilers
  • Monoblock 1 Alloys 8.x16 ET35 with Yokohama A 225/45 R16 89W tires
  • Eibach Pro-Kit
  • Bilstein sport shock absorbers with 30mm rebound
  • High-performance brakes with 286mm discs
  • Weichers Aluminium Anti Roll Cage and Strut Bar
  • Brabus Sport steering wheel type ll black leather with red spoke
  • Recaro Spa Kevlar bucket seats including Kevlar backs
  • 4 point safety belts in red
  • Brabus 300km/h speedometer
  • Carbon Fibre gear surround
  • Gear lever in black fine leather with red stitching
  • Additional Temperature Gauges for oil/transmission/rear differential
  • Brabus styling and special paint

1989 Mercedes Brabus 3.6S Lightweight

High-performance tuning by Brabus

Brabus was founded back in 1977 in Germany and is a specialist in high-performance aftermarket tuning of Mercedes-Benz, Smart and Maybach vehicles. You can either buy a car directly from Brabus or send your car in for customization and/or overhaul. The Brabus Rocket (based on a modified Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class) holds several records – e.g. the record for street-legal sedans with 362.4 km/h from 2006. The 2012 Brabus Rocket 800 is powered by a v12 engine, produces 800 hp and 1,420Nm of torque and can go from 0-300 km/h in just 23.8 seconds.

For sale at Fast Classics

The team at Fast Classics is passionate about great driving machines and focus on selling the most treasured cars with low mileage and very few owners. The company operates from a 10,000 sq. ft indoor showroom that also includes a professional photo studio often used by Top Gear, McLaren and Alpine Stars. Other brands include Great British Classics, Millennium Heroes and The Octane Collection.

See all cars for sale here: www.fast-classics.com

Asking price is £116,995 GBP

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Steen Hansen
Steen Hansenhttps://oldnewsclub.com
Steen Hansen has always been into vintage, retro, architecture, gadgets and especially everything with an engine! With more than 11 years as Art Director on danish car magazines, test driver and continuously been pushing boundaries on the race track himself.

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