The Brabus 190E 3.6S. Already an evocative moniker, and nick named the ‘Brabus Lightweight’, The story behind the construction is part of its appeal. The mid eighties onward was a hotbed for fast compact German saloons with the Mercedes 190 and BMW E30 fighting for sales and racing supremacy. There were countless iterations of both, each flouting more power and wilder styling than its predecessor – it was an amazing period for German saloon cars.
Brabus wanted part of the action and showed their iteration in 1988, the prototype Brabus 190E 3.6S. A fantastically pure car that pushed the boundaries of a saloon, it had no air conditioning, less sound deadening, a straight six engine bored and stroked to 3.6 litres and amazingly, no rear seats. A wild concept, but just a step too far for Brabus customers, who requested that the air conditioning and rear seats be reinstated in the customer cars. That original lightweight prototype was converted into the first Brabus 190E 3.6-24 with all the seats and air conditioning back in place, which could of spelt the end of the Lightweight.
Luckily, one man fell for it, Sven Gramm, PR Director for Brabus and in 2008 (some 20 years after that fated prototype) he commissioned Brabus to produce another one, staying true to the concept as a two seater with no air conditioning. The build used a donor 190E 2.6E, as would have been done with the original. Under the tutelage of Sven, who spent many an hour searching for components and blueprints in the Brabus factory and storage facility, the 190E slowly morphed into a Brabus 190E 3.6S across a 10 month build period. Original parts were used where possible and bespoke components produced when not.
The result is awe inspiring to say the least. Mercedes Signal Red is the colour of choice and the Brabus has a slightly front down attack stance that suits the 80s touring car style perfectly, matching its track brethren. It sits low and hunkered down, courtesy of a set of Bilstein Sports dampers and Eibach springs. The interior is pure race car, yet with the functionality of a Mercedes.
Brabus was founded in 1977 in Bottrop (Ruhr Area), Germany. It is a high-performance aftermarket tuning company which specializes in Mercedes-Benz, Smart, and Maybach vehicles. Klaus Brackman and Bodo Buschmann established the company in 1977, the name deriving from the combined first three letters of their last names. Brabus became the largest Mercedes tuner, other than Mercedes-AMG which became a DaimlerChrysler affiliate in the 1990s.