Brabus Shadow 800 Proves Tuner Is Great At Upgrading Boats, Too

Brabus is most famous for the firm's ability to add performance and style to Mercedes-Benz vehicles, but a new partnership with boat builder Axopar on the Shadow 800 takes the automotive tuner into the realm of maritime performance. A new video from the 2018 Palma Boat Show provides a much better look at this 800-horsepower (597-kilowatt) machine, and shows it with a matching G850 G-Class.

The Shadow 800 uses the Axopar 37 hull that measures 36 feet 9 inches (11.2 meters) long, and power comes from a pair of Mercury Racing Verado 400R engines. Each of these supercharged 2.7-liter inline-six mills produce 400 hp (298 kW). They allow for a top speed of 50 knots (58 miles per hour or 93 kilometers per hour). The boat also comes loaded with tech, too, like underwater cameras and cutting-edge navigational equipment.

The Shadow 800 is available in two color schemes. The one in this video features a hull in Brabus' signature shade of black and a few red touches for a colorful flourish. However, the firm knows that this might be too dark for some buyers' taste, so a gray exterior is also an option. Inside, Brabus installs lots of carbon fiber parts and mixes the lightweight material with more black and gray finishes. For longer trips on the water, there's room for two people to sleep below deck.

Brabus and Axopar will build just 20 units of the Shadow 800 at a price in Germany starting at 397,500 euros ($475,000 at current exchange rates). There will be plenty of options to increase the cost, including an improved entertainment system with a 42-inch television, Apple TV, and surround sound.

The two companies are also looking to the future by coordinating on a new factory that should be up and running in 2019. They intend to construct even more boats  together, including an even larger 45-foot-long (13.72-meter) model.