BRABUS MAXIMUS; Thoroughly tested tuner turns out treats for america.(News)

Byline: -MARK VAUGHN

A few years ago Brabus was looking to come to the United States, the biggest market for Mercedes outside Germany. At the same time Steven Beaty, who was working for Mercedes-Benz North America in the accessories department, stopped by the Brabus stand at the Geneva motor show.

"They had the desire to expand,'' said Beaty. "And there was clearly a market in the U.S....''

So, as they might say at MBNA headquarters in northern New Jersey, "Bada bing, bada boom.''

Beaty is now the president of Brabus North America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Brabus GmbH in Germany. Stateside headquarters are in Newport Beach, California, the largest market for high-end Mercedes-Benzes in the world. That Geneva meeting took place in 1998. A year later the U.S. headquarters opened, and it has been selling bigger, badder Benzes ever since.

A visit to the Southern California showroom revealed a meaty squadron of Brabi: an S600 with its engine stroked and bored from 5.5 liters to 6.7 and a flip-down computer screen controlled by a wireless keyboard; an SL600 stroked and bored to 7.3 liters and 582 hp; an E500 made into a 6.1-liter; and an SL that started life as an SL55 AMG but was turned into a 550-hp K8 with 12-piston brake calipers and a 0-to-60 time of 3.9 seconds.

All the cars in the showroom had new wheels and tires, usually 19- or 20-inch wheels with appropriately low-profile Pirelli, Michelin or Yokohama tires. Custom leather interiors are hand- done on ...