Stand back! This Brabus G-Class has a 888bhp V12

Mercedes’s twin-turbocharged V12 engine is dying. After the limited-run S65 Final Edition you won’t be able to get it in an S-Class, and of course the ridiculous G65 was canned with the arrival of the all-new G-Class last year… So if you want a V12 in your Mercedes, you’ve no choice but to buy an old one, or look to the aftermarket.

Enter Brabus. Normally its cars have tuned versions of the engines they left the factory with, but not this G-Wagen. To create this behemoth, Brabus took a Mercedes S600 and removed its 523 bhp 6.0-litre V12. Said engine was stripped and rebuilt using better, stronger components (including bigger turbos) and bored out to 6.3-litres. Now making some 888bhp and 1,106lb ft (but limited to 885lb ft in the car), it was inserted into the front of a new G-Wagen - a space, presumably, never designed to accommodate an engine bigger than the G63’s 4.0-litre V8.

The G V12 900 - for 900 metric horsepowers - can do 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds and has a wisely limited top speed of 174mph. Interestingly, Brabus says it has Merc’s modern nine-speed automatic gearbox. Merc’s own V12s have been saddled with older five- and later seven-speed transmissions, as the nine couldn’t handle all the torque. So this is NEWS.

The 900 is also fitted with a switchable stainless steel exhaust and Brabus’ ‘Widestar’ bodykit, which widens the track and body by four inches. It can live with 23- or 24-inch wheels. Coilover suspension has been connected-up to the standard ‘Dynamic Select’ switch, so you can flick through different setups on the move.

Just ten of these things will be built, with prices starting at €605,055 before tax. That’s £556,000, or £667,000 once you’ve factored in VAT.

Goodness.