Skip to main content

Dubai Police pursue high-speed desert evildoers with Brabus G63 AMG Widestar

The Dubai Police has the coolest fleet of police cars in the world, but when you’ve already got a Lamborghini Aventador and a Bugatti Veyron in your garage, where do you go from there?

Set to be unveiled at the Dubai Motor Show, the latest vehicle to wear the force’s green-and-white livery is a tuned Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG.

Actually, it’s technically not a Mercedes anymore. It’s a Brabus B63S 700 Widestar.

Brabus is one of a handful of European tuning companies that modifies vehicles so thoroughly that the end result can be considered a separate model from its original. That’s the case with this G-Wagen.

The stock G63 AMG flaunts a 5.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 under its block-y hood. The mad scientists at Mercedes’ AMG performance division let it leave the factory with 536 horsepower. Brabus pushes its version of the V8 powerplant to 700 hp.

The result is a luxury SUV based on a military vehicle that can now do 0-62 mph in 4.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 149 mph. That’s something no evildoer wants to see in their rearview mirror.

It may sound incredibly frivolous, but Brabus and the Dubai Police are actually using the modified G63 for a public-relations campaign.

The “Tune It! Safe!” campaign was started in Germany to encourage drivers to modify their cars in a safe and legal way. It’s being launched in the United Arab Emirates as well. What better way to promote safe vehicle modification than with a ridiculous modified vehicle? I can’t think of one.

Actually, we’re a little surprised by the restraint shown by the Dubai Police. Instead of the relatively serene Widestar, they could have opted for the Brabus B63S 700 6×6, which is based on the G63 AMG 6×6.

The four-wheeled B63S 700 Widestar will join a very impressive fleet of police cars, including the aforementioned Lambo and Veyron, as well as a Ferrari FF and Aston Martin One-77.

Like the Widestar, these super police cars are mostly used for publicity purposes rather than crime fighting. They’re put on display in tourist-centric areas to promote Dubai. Though should a high-speed chase break out, the Dubai PD is well ready.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
The Tesla Model Y is far from my favorite EV, but I’m pretty close to buying one
Tesla Model Y One Millionth Car

I may finally be on my way toward buying my first EV. Sure, I've tested dozens of electric car models over the years, but despite that (or perhaps because of it), I have yet to buy one. But my family is growing, and my wife and I aren't so sure about carting our future kids around in an aging car that lacks the safety features of modern vehicles.

Because of the fact that we're expecting our kid in January, we have a bit of a deadline. So what are we leaning toward? Well, despite the fact that it's far from my favorite EV, we may actually end up just getting a Model Y.
Timing makes a difference
If the baby was coming along in a year's time, things might be completely different. There are a few reasons for that.

Read more
Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally kicks up some dirt
Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally driving on a dirt road.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV pushed the hallowed Mustang nameplate in a different direction, and it's doing that again with a new performance variant. Debuting in 2024, the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally is designed for fun on both pavement and dirt.

Rallying is a form of motorsport where drivers compete to set the quickest time over a course — usually a closed road or trail — rather than a dedicated racetrack that includes a variety of surfaces like dirt, gravel, or even snow. Rallying has inspired some epic performance road cars over the years, including the Subaru WRX, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and Ford's own Focus RS, but it's never really been associated with the Mustang.

Read more
BMW scraps its unpopular approach to heated seats
Driver's seat and dashboard of the 2023 BMW iX M60.

BMW caused much consternation last year when it launched a subscription-only option for heated car seats.

The idea of having to pay a monthly fee of $18 to keep your posterior warm during the winter months still seems as absurd as ever, but the good news is that the German automaker has now decided to scrap the fee. What particularly irked customers was that they felt they were being forced to cough up extra for functions that would previously have been expected as standard. The fiasco even prompted a community of hackers to offer their services to unlock the feature for those unwilling to pay extra for it.

Read more