I love a good campervan, those nifty vehicles that can get you out in nature with ease while also letting you take a few creature comforts from home into the wilderness with you. If you’re more bothered about those comforts rather than the creatures in the wild, however, this ridiculous new RV from famed Mercedes tuner Brabus might be for you.
Brabus has been building ridiculous modified Mercedes cars for almost five decades now, and over that time it’s built some absolute monsters. Now, the German tuning company appears to be turning its attention away from track times and is instead focusing on quality times. To do this, it’s created the Brabus Big Boy 1200, a monstrous new RV based on a diesel Mercedes semi truck. Instead of lightening the car and adding all kinds of aerodynamic upgrades, the truck has piled on the pounds with the addition of a full kitchen, bedroom and luxurious living area.
The 40-foot truck is divided up into four distinct rooms in addition to the drivers cabin and a storage area. First, the living room is the perfect place to hide away from the great outdoors thanks to its leather couch, 43-inch TV and an included PlayStation 5 console. In the images of the example truck that Brabus shared, you’ll see that everything is dark grey or black inside the van and the whole room is also finished with carbon-fiber trim. If you want to remind yourself that you’re in the natural world, there are also two skylights in this space to let a hint of natural light waft inside.
Further back, the bedroom is more charcoal grey and moody tones. It also comes with a double bed and another PS5 connected to another 43-inch TV, and there’s air conditioning and built-in wireless chargers dotted around the space. When it’s time for your private chef to whip up a quick campfire dinner for you, they’ll have an induction stove, electric oven and fridge-freezer to hand. Plus, Brabas has fitted a wine cooler, because you wouldn’t be seen dead in nature with a warm Riesling.
Onboard the Big Boy, there’s also a luxury bathroom with carbon-fiber details, heated flooring and a rain shower, plus built-in storage that can fit all your hopes and dreams. All of those upgrades mean that the Big Boy really does live up to its name, as Brabus says the fully kitted out campervan will weigh more than 50,000 pounds when it hits the road. To make sure you’ve got enough grunt to haul that weight up mountain passes and forest trails, it’ll be powered by a 530-horsepower diesel motor from Mercedes, which will be coupled up to a 85-gallon fuel tank that should get you just about out of town once you’ve sat in city center traffic.
There’s no word yet on pricing for the Big Boy, as Brabus says it’s only available in select markets and asks you to inquire before it “checks your request individually.”
The whole thing is impressive, but utterly ridiculous, don’t you think? It feels like the polar opposite to humble camper builds like this bike-based RV and lacks all the style that you’d have if you drove around in this re-imagined icon.