MERCEDES CRASHES SEMA
WITH FOUR TUNED GLKs

Before the GLK luxury SUV hits dealerships, Mercedes-Benz plans on making a big splash at the 2008 SEMA show with four GLK Design Concepts. Each of the four SUVs will be modified by a different tuning house and each will have a specific theme.


MLE was first to bring you news of one of these creations, the RENNtech Rally Racer, inspired by the Pikes Peak Hillclimb. This wild model will include a RENNtech first – a performance oriented hybrid powertrain.

As we also reported previously, the three other Design Concepts will come from Brabus, Boulevard Customs and Legendary Motor Cars. Mercedes has just released slightly more info on each of these cars.

The Brabus GLK Widestar will be a classic Brabus tuning job and will exude both luxury and class. This GLK300 Bluetec will follow in the ML Widestar’s footsteps with front and rear fender flares as well as redesigned front and rear bumpers. We can also expect to see Brabus wheels and suspension modifications as well as a classy world-class interior.

Interestingly, this car actually comes all the way from Brabus headquarters in Bottrop, Germany and will not feature the same engine as the other models. It will instead feature a 3.0-liter V-6 Bluetec diesel engine. Neither Mercedes nor Brabus has confirmed this, but a quick look at the Brabus catalog of parts for Bluetec engines would suggest the SUV will come equipped with the Brabus tuning program which ups horsepower by roughly 47 ponies – from 201 hp to 258 hp at 3700 rpm. Torque is where diesel engines really shine, however, and this will be no exception with an additional 50 ft-lbs of torque, to bring the total to 450 ft-lbs at just 1600 rpm.

The big surprise is the winch system that’s been fitted to propel skate and wake boarders; the idea being that once up to speed, they can grind down the Rock Crawler’s special side rails—although we’re not sure exactly how it will work and can envision only multiple hospital visits.