Brabus is entering a new chapter after unveiling the Bodo, its first-ever mostly homegrown car, and CEO Constantin Buschmann says more bespoke models are expected. The company, best known for extensively tuning Mercedes-AMG vehicles, is now looking beyond its traditional business while continuing to make high-performance AMGs.
Brabus Built Its Reputation on Extreme AMGs
Since 1990, AMG has been Mercedes-Benz’s factory skunkworks division following an agreement to build vehicles together. While the partnership has produced some great cars, Brabus has long served customers looking for something more extreme.
Founded in 1977 by Klaus Brackmann and Bodo Buschmann, Brabus has spent nearly 50 years making Mercedes-Benz vehicles even more powerful and distinctive. Although the company has also tuned vehicles from other brands in more recent years, it remains best known for creating some of the most extreme AMGs, often with matching price tags.
The Bodo Opens a New Chapter
The Bodo represents a major departure for Brabus. Unveiled this year, it is the company’s first-ever mostly homegrown car and pays clear tribute to co-founder Bodo Buschmann.
Unlike Brabus models based on Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the Bodo does not use a Mercedes as its underlying platform. Its foundation comes from the Aston Martin Vanquish, while its V12 engine still comes from the German automaker.
The Bodo is also only the beginning of Brabus’ new direction. In an interview with Motor1, CEO Constantin Buschmann, the son of co-founder Bodo Buschmann, said the company plans to produce more bespoke models.
Brabus Wants to Leave Its Comfort Zone
The Bodo received a positive reaction, and Brabus followed it with the Bodo cabriolet, which made its world premiere at The Quail during Monterey Car Week.
Buschmann said the company does not intend to stop there. He explained that Brabus needs to create something outside its comfort zone from time to time.
“I said to the team back then, ‘We’re going to do one uncomfortable thing a year. We’re gonna put ourselves outside of our comfort zone one time per year, minimum.’ And we’ve done that ever since… [Bodo] kind of feels like coming full circle. Because this car shows what you’ve been developing through going out of our comfort zone. Over and over and over again,” Buschmann told Motor1.
More Bespoke Brabus Models Are Coming
Buschmann has not revealed what the next bespoke Brabus model will be. He has, however, made clear that stepping outside the company’s comfort zone is part of its direction, leaving open the possibility that development of the next project could already be underway.
It is not yet known whether the next model will be based on an Aston Martin or an AMG. The Bodo has nevertheless established a high bar for whatever Brabus develops next.
AMG Tuning Remains Brabus’ Core Business
Despite the move toward unique models, tuning AMGs will remain Brabus’ core business. The company’s expansion into bespoke vehicles follows years of customers asking when Brabus would begin building and designing cars from scratch.
Those customers believe Brabus can do more than its existing business portfolio. With a younger, more open-minded team behind Buschmann, the company’s new bespoke branch may become a regular part of Brabus.
For now, Brabus is continuing its traditional AMG tuning work while beginning to establish bespoke models as a more regular part of its business, following the introduction of the Bodo and its cabriolet.
