Brabus

Brabus was founded in 1977 in Bottrop, Germany, by Bodo Buschmann and his friend Klaus Brackmann. The name was created from the first three letters of their surnames (BRA-BUS), though Brackmann soon sold his shares to Buschmann. The company was born from Buschmann's desire to customize his own Mercedes-Benz vehicles to a higher standard than what was commercially available at the time. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Brabus established itself as a world-class engineering firm, frequently breaking Guinness World Records for the fastest street-legal sedans. Their philosophy involved shoehorning massive V12 engines into smaller Mercedes chassis, such as the C-Class and E-Class, creating a niche for extreme performance luxury vehicles. In 2002, Brabus entered a strategic joint venture with DaimlerChrysler to form Smart-Brabus GmbH, which produces high-performance versions of all Smart models. This solidified their relationship with the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, allowing them to operate as a registered vehicle manufacturer in their own right while maintaining an independent spirit. Following the death of Bodo Buschmann in 2018, his son Constantin Buschmann took over as CEO. Under his leadership, the brand has diversified beyond its traditional Mercedes-Benz roots, launching tuning programs for luxury brands like Porsche and Rolls-Royce, as well as expanding into high-end marine craft through Brabus Marine.