2008 Mercedes Brabus Bullit Black Arrow

The test car looked particularly satanic. Its original silver body was covered with a matte-black finish, at an extra cost of € 4000 ($6200). The paint treatment may be supercool, but the surface finish is more casual than solid paint, and stone chips will tear small holes in the elastic armor. Complementing the stealth bodysuit are dark aluminum wheels, a carbon-fiber grille and rear apron, generous wing and sill extensions, a rear spoiler, and a widemouthed lower fascia that feeds plenty of air to the brake-cooling ducts and the radiators. The Brabus Bullit Black Arrow boasts a 6.2-liter twin-turbo V-12 that musters 720 hp at 5100 rpm and serves up 811 lb-ft of torque from 2100 rpm. Compared with the twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter unit that it's based on (the one that powers Mercedes-Benz's S600, CL600, and SL600 models), the uprated engine features a longer-stroke crankshaft, bigger-bore cylinders, special pistons and connecting rods, high-performance camshafts, and a free-flow exhaust that's brutal enough to crack an egg from half a mile away. The reinforced automatic is only a five-speed, but when you can dish up more torque than a run-of-the-mill turboprop engine, the number of gears is almost immaterial. The downside of the dated transmission is the absence of shift paddles, which would nicely match the overkill character of this brutal beast. Theoretically, you can always stir the console-mounted shifter, but in view of the rear axle's tap-dancing tendencies, both hands on the wheel is the preferred position. Brabus engineers fitted a limited-slip differential to aid grip. Traction and stability control help, too, as do the 285/30YR-19 rear Yokohamas, which are a little fatter than the 265/30YR-19 footwear on the front wheels. Other chassis upgrades include beefier antiroll bars, a wider track, high-performance brakes, and a specially prepared ten-way-adjustable spring and damper setup. Extra money buys carbon-ceramic brake discs, but the standard setup is better-suited for everyday use. Combining twelve-pot fixed calipers and 15.0-inch rotors in the front with six-piston calipers and 14.2-inch discs in the back, the Bullit decelerates with vigor.