There isn’t much room for improvement when it comes to a car like the Mercedes-AMG SLbut don’t tell that to Brabus.

The German tuner has just unveiled the GTS rockethis hardcore reimagining of one of the most iconic vehicles wear the three-pointed star. The store has become elegant roadster in an aggressively styled shooting brake with nearly 1,000 horsepower under the hood.

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The seventh generation SL, introduced in 2022, features a design that is both bold and sophisticated. The first descriptor can be applied to both Brabus gates, but not to the second. The Rocket GTS is one of the most extreme cars we’ve seen this year. A carbon fiber body kit gives the vehicle a wider stance, (much) larger aerodynamic elements, and an all-new hardtop that extends all the way to the rear of the vehicle. Shooting brakes can be cool – just look at the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brakefor example, but the store’s latest looks almost like a modern-day BMW Z3 M Coupe, something that won’t appeal to everyone. As usual, all the classic Mercedes branding has been replaced by the store’s giant B badge.

However, the Rocket GTS is a beast in more ways than one. As controversial as Brabus’s design choices may be, it’s hard to imagine anyone taking issue with the mechanical improvements made to the SL. The current high-end AMG SL 63 SE performance is a true sports car, equipped with a hybrid-assisted 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that generates 805 hp. Well, the store version of the car is even more powerful.

The Rocket GTS pairs the SL’s 6.1 kWh battery with a more powerful 4.5-liter twin-turbo V8 connected to a nine-speed automatic transmission. The upgrade is significant, increasing peak combined output to a ridiculous 986 horsepower and 1,342 pound-feet of torque (the latter is limited to 1,195 pound-feet of torque to “protect” the power transmission elements of the car). With all that extra power, the shooting brake can sprint from 0 to 62 mph in just 2.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 197 mph. This makes it 0.1 seconds quicker and 1 mph quicker than the AMG SL 63 SE Performance.

Looking for a ridiculously powerful shooting brake? Brabus now takes control of the Rocket GTS. Be prepared to spend big, though. The asking price indicated on the tuner website is €
945,763, or a little over a million dollars.

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