$12,000 Exhaust Makes a Mercedes-Benz S600 Sound Like a ’90s F1 Car
Modern technology is cool, but the sound of a Mercedes S600 V12 engine is better. Pagani seems to agree.
Yes, we are recommending that you buy a 40-year-old Mercedes. However, the car we are recommending is no average German luxury sedan. It’s a S600, the top of the line flagship model. Flagships usually come with expensive and unique components that make them stand out from the rest of the manufacturer’s lineup; a way to show what an automaker is capable of when money is not a concern. This is the case of the V12 engine featured in the old S600.
While its 402 HP output from 6.0L of displacement is far from impressive in modern standards (consider the fact Mercedes’ new M139 four-cylinder turbo will make 416 HP from 2.0L), there is something about a V12 that cannot be easily replicated. That, my friends, is the sound it can make when opened up a little bit. This might be the reason that the M120 powered early model Pagani Zondas. Well, what happens when you try to give an Italian treatment to a German sedan? Thanks to effspot on YouTube, we find out this exact answer.
If your dream is to be able to wake up your entire neighborhood with F1 sounds at any time of the day, all while barely breaking the speed limit, this project might be for you. What will you need to make this dream a reality? Well, money- a lot of it. Then you’ll need an old S600 with a V12. You’ll also need to find a way to get that Mercedes to Japan or the easier route, buying the car in Japan from the start. Then, you’ll need to speak Japanese or have a translator to communicate with the shop that performs the exhaust work: Brilliant Exhaust. From there, you’ll need to wait a couple of months as they fabricate the header-back system from scratch.
The cost of this exhaust is no joke, around $12,000. However, consider the fact that this is a completely bespoke exhaust system, made from pie-cut TIG-welded titanium. None of that is easy work nor is it cheap. However, the end result could only be described as the stuff of dreams. When they receive the car from Brilliant Exhaust once its done, it features a valvetronic system which allows for the mufflers to either be “quiet” or essentially a straight pipe. From the sound that this S600 makes when bombing down a tunnel in metropolitan Tokyo, you might believe you were in a video game.
What do you guys think of this exhaust setup? Is it worth the money? Let us know in the comments below.
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