BRABUS 1200 SUN TOP
LOA: 45ft 8in (13.91m) BEAM: 13ft 6in (4.11m) ENGINES: Triple Mercury 400R 5.7L V10s TOP SPEED: 55 knots PRICE: From 1,060,000 ex VAT CONTACT: www.brabusmarine.com
For most people, a standard Axopar 45 Sun Top is likely to do pretty much everything you need. It will push 50 knots on a triple rig of 300s, it’s brilliantly easy to drive, it has attractive looks, loads of convertible seating, endless storage and the option of two private cabins. But if enough is not quite enough, Brabus has a characteristically dramatic solution.
The Brabus Shadow 1200 Sun Top Phantom Gray Signature Edition comes with triple 400hp Mercury Racing 5.7L V10 outboards for speeds of up to 55 knots and a fast cruise in the region of 40 (rather than 35) knots. As with any Special Edition platform, the spec, the aesthetics and the sense of exclusivity are also central to the experience, so the Brabus model ramps things up in that regard too. You get a steely Phantom Gray paint job, alongside crimson accents in the roof racks, waterski frames and roof pillars. You get bespoke leather upholstery with contrasting Brabus piping and stitching, as well as plenty of carbon-fibre detailing. And the lighting is well taken care of too, thanks to illuminated balcony doors, a carbon LED roof light module, underwater and deck lights and the option of full RGB lighting, so you can set the colour to whatever mood you please.
In terms of the vital features though, the brilliant day spaces of the base 45 are all present and correct. In addition to a forward lounge with gullwing doors, the Brabus features an aft cockpit with foldable balconies, a wraparound wet bar settee, a large dining zone, the option of a second wet bar and either a U-shaped sofa or an aft cabin. But as you would expect, a great deal of effort has gone into making this boat feel high-end and the price undoubtedly reflects that.
At more than a million Euros plus delivery and VAT for the base package (around double that of the standard Axopar), this boat is likely to feel like too great a stretch for some, but of course in many ways, that’s the point. Excellent though they are, Axopars have become quite a common sight on the world’s waterways, so if you want extra pace and power, alongside a more aggressive aesthetic and (critically) a more pronounced sense of individuality, the Brabus might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.