2014 Brabus 800 Roadster Review

    AMG is Mercedes-Benz's craziest tuning division, right? Actually, no, because the Brabus tuning firm is much more insane than AMG, but sadly, it isn't an official part of Mercedes-Benz. It does have the occasional collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, which happens to be the case with the new Pullman limousine, which Brabus will supposedly develop for Mercedes-Benz. But, in my opinion, Brabus should not be absorbed into Mercedes-Benz, because they would overshadow AMG, which sells infinitely more cars than Brabus, which would make it a stupid business decision. But, Brabus does make some really cool stuff, none of which you've probably heard of. Some of thier craziest inventions include the B63-700 6X6, the 850 6.0 Biturbo iBusiness, and the 850 6.0 Biturbo variant of the CLS-Class estate (but instead of the AMG V8, they use a tuned version of the 6.0 liter V12 in the S600). But, they also make more subtle cars, such as the 800 roadster, which is "only" a tuned SL with a 788 horsepower. It also has 811 pound-feet of torque, which is almost 100 pound-feet more than in the "run-of-the-mill" SL65 AMG. Because of these massive amounts of power, the 800 does 0-60 in 3.7 seconds, and on to a top speed of 217 mph. 

Click here to learn more about the Brabus 800 Roadster

Click here to visit the Brabus homepage

2015 Maserati Quattroporte Review

    As you probably have noticed, I really like luxury cars, but I also like fast, sporty, exotic cars as well. So where do you find the perfect blend of luxury and sport? Well, to be honest, you have several options from many different nationalities, all of which are good choices. From England, you have the Jaguar XJR/XJR-L, and from Germany you have many, MANY, options, such as the Mercedes-Benz E/CLS/S-Class AMG variants, the BMW M5, M6 Gran Coupe, and Alpina B7, as well as the Audi S6, S7, RS7, and S8. Sure, the U.S. has some so-so options, but you can't really call a Cadillac CTS-V a "luxury" car, can you (some people consider Cadillacs to be luxury cars, I do not)? You're also probably thinking, "well, the Rolls-Royce Ghost and Bentley Flying Spur could be worthy competitors, right?" Well, yes, but Bentleys and Rolls-Royces aren't really "sporty," and neither are the V12 variants of German barges, such as the Audi A8L W12 and the BMW 760Li. Surprisingly enough, I find the Italian manufacturers to do the best job of combing the two elements with the Maserati Quattroporte. I find it to be very luxurious, while at the same time shows up Aston Martins and souped-up Audis. Now, in it's second generation, it is offered with two engines; a mild 3.0 liter V6 with 404 hp, and an insane 3.8 liter turbocharged V8 that produces 523 hp and 524 pound-feet of torque, resulting in a 0-60 time in under five seconds. The interior is far nicer than most Mercs, and has a massive amount of high-quality wood and leather. The rear seat can be optioned with dual wood-grain picnic trays, individual power seats, and a rear-seat entertainment system. 

Click here to learn more about the 2015 Maserati Quattroporte

Week of May 12th: Extreme Mercedes Week!

     This week, I am starting up an idea I had. Everey couple of weeks, I will pick a specific week and car manufacturer to write about for the entire week. It will include stuff about the models, the entire model lineup, and probably a comparison or two. This week, the theme will be Mercedes-Benz, and Mercedes-AMG in particular. Let me know what you think of this in the comments below. Enjoy!