DriveTimes five

Other Mercedes-Benz tuners AMG Mercedes-Benz started life vehicles, as an aftermarket before being tuner bought of entirely by Mercedes in 2005. But what if you still want an even more extreme Merc? Yes, that is possible. There are still a number of tuner

Brabus

After AMG, Brabus is the biggest name in extreme Mercedes-Benz cars and SUVs. The company was established by Bodo Buschmann in 1977 and has dealt exclusively in modifying Mercedes vehicles (including Smart and Maybach – although they have also played around with a Tesla or two) since then. By ‘‘modifying’’, we mean making them almost insanely powerful. The car to have: Brabus 850 6.0 biturbo sedan. If you are going to go big, you may as well go seriously big. Numbers, that is: based on the previous-generation E 63 AMG, the 850 biturbo pumps out a ridiculous 625kW and 1965Nm. That’s actually electronically limited to 1560Nm, but still.

Carlsson

Started by brothers Rolf and Andreas Hartge in 1989, Carlsson specialises mainly in alloy wheels and styling kits, but also dabbles in extreme performance with a few select Mercedes-AMG models, including the limited SL 65-based 554kW C25 supercar from 2010. You guessed it: the car to have is the C 25. It was limited to just 25 units, with only one sold per country. Along with the 554kW of power, the C 25 also packed 1150Nm of torque, giving it a 0-100kmh time of 3.7 seconds, a 0-200kmh time of 10.6 seconds and a top speed of 352kmh.

Kleemann

Founded in Denmark in 1985, Kleemann does everything from floor mats to full race suspension and, of course, insanely powerful supercharger conversions for Mercedes vehicles. It will also convert your insanely powerful Merc to have Lamborghini-style scissor doors if you are really broken. The car to have: the SLS AMG Supercharged. Because the SLS’s 6.2-litre naturally aspirated engine was a bit soft, Kleemann will strap a supercharger to it, for 575kW and 1145Nm of torque. Kleemann proudly claims that the traction control will struggle with the power up to 150kmh and the car can hit a top speed of 356kmh.

Hamann Motorsport

Not as extreme as some, Hamann Motorsport was started by Richard Hamann in Germany in 1986 to work exclusively on German cars, but this has widened recently to include other high performance brands. Unlike other tuners in this list, Hamann doesn’t offer complete cars, rather a series of kits and additions to make selected Mercedes models more, um, extreme. The car to have: clearly the G 63 with the Spyridon wide body kit and Hamann ‘‘power advancement module’’.The power module cranks things up to 478kW and 900Nm, while a V-max upgrade can also be added to allow your apartment-block on wheels to hit 340kmh.

Mansory

Started by Kourosh Mansory in Germany in 1989, Mansory doesn’t specialise in Mercedes-Benz products, rather it will do horrible, tasteless things to almost any luxury or performance brand. Alongside performance mods, Mansory is probably most famous for its outlandish body modifications and garish liveries. Still, it does know how to do ‘‘fast’’. The car to have: the Mansory Gronos Black Desert that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show. Based on the G500, the Black Desert only gets a modest power boost of 47kW and 100Nm, but also adds portal axles, custom off-road alloys and that brilliant matt paint job. Oh, and don’t worry, the tasteless is still there – the interior boasts a starlight headliner and red leather trim.