Ultimate pimped-up motorhome: Brabus, the automotive tuning firm liked by footballers, releases £1m Big Boy 1200

A luxury automotive brand best known for pimping up SUVs and is loved by Premier League footballers has confirmed it is turning its hand to even larger motors with the unveiling of its first ‘extravagant motorhome’.

German tuning company Brabus has unveiled its Big Boy 1200 – its first venture into the motorhome market with a 26-tonne house on wheels that costs in excess of £1million.

However, the Big Boy might be deemed too big for Britain with the company stating that it will only be available in ‘approved markets’.

At 12 metres, the Big Boy lives up to its name, being longer than the latest London Routemaster double decker bus (11.23 metres). As such, if it does come to the UK, drivers will need a ‘Category C’ HGV licence to get behind the wheel.

While Brabus is arguably most famous for customising Mercedes G-Wagons to the bespoke order of the super-rich, celebrities and professional footballers, it has now turned its attention to the German auto firm’s much bigger Actros truck for its latest opulent creation.

It has roped-in the expertise of Belgian specialist firm STX Motorhomes to convert the HGV cab into a six-wheeled behemoth with a bed and kitchen.

To move a vehicle with the equivalent weight of a cruise ship’s anchor, the Big Boy 1200 necessitates a powerplant of adequate proportions. And it has one.

Power comes from a massive 12.8-litre six-cylinder turbocharged diesel that develops 523bhp and 2,600Nm of torque.

Despite having a colossal engine, the top speed is limited to just 56mph due to the vehicle’s incredible weight. 

Nevertheless, it is at zero miles per hour that the Brabus is most impressive…

Step inside the Brabus motorhome 

Once stationary, four power-assisted modules extend out of the body to increase the scale of both the bedroom and ‘saloon’, providing a massive 30 square metres of living space. That’s around the same as a small one-bed flat in London.

Hydraulically extendable supports also level the vehicle perfectly on any surface while entry and exit is provided by electrically retracting steps on the right-hand side.

Security is provided by a 360-degree camera surveillance system with a direct feed into the living room and a four-digit entry code is required to unlock the doors.

Make your way into the ‘masterpiece living space’ and you’ll find a bedroom, kitchen, shower room, dining area and lounge.

All the floors are heated throughout and there’s a night heater and automatic air conditioning to guarantee stable temperatures no matter where you’re driving to. Both are powered by eight solar panels on the roof and the Big Boy’s on-board energy storage system.

The bedroom compartment, courtesy of the two extendable modules, provides enough space for a transversely positioned double bed. There’s a single bed that electrically lowers into the vehicle cockpit for additional sleeping space if required.

There’s a large closet integrated into the rear wall of the motorhome’s bedroom, while there’s a desk and a 43-inch 4K television installed in the side wall opposite the bed with a Playstation 5 for gamers. 

‘Thanks to satellite internet via Starlink, passengers can watch streaming services, access content from the internet or communicate with the whole world, even in remote areas,’ Brabus boasts.

Moving into the living room, there’s two grey leather sofas that – like the driver and front passenger seat – are ‘quilted with pinpoint precision’ and face a second 43-inch telly.

To further bolster the comforts in addition to the underfloor heating, the living areas has Sahari luxury carpets, while other sections are finished in black fine wood or in matching black Alcantara.

The saloon features a modern kitchen with an induction hob, oven, dishwasher and fridge with an integrated freezer compartment. 

A separate wine fridge and coffee machine are installed for all your beverage needs. 

The sofa opposite the kitchen, together with designer chairs and a large black table, provide an interior dining space that will easily accommodate four people.

Finally, there’s a lavish bathroom featuring natural stone walls, a rainforest shower, and matching black WC and heated towel rail. A separate – though stunning – vanity area leads into the sleeping quarters.

From the outside, the enormous dimensions of the Big Boy 1200 are elevated by an all-black exterior giving this not-so-subtle machine a stealth-like look – though definitely not stealth-like characteristics.

It even comes equipped with a roof light bar, just in case your desired destination takes you off-piste and well away from streetlamps.

Want one? Well, Brabus says it retails for a starting price of €1,260,504. Today, this converts to just over £1million (£1,057,000), so quite a lot more than a weekend at a Haven resort.