Brabus Has Modified An Island

Last year, esteemed Mercedes tuner Brabus launched the Big Boy, a Merc lorry transformed into a motorhome that’s more luxurious than any house most of us could dream of even setting foot in. Unsatisfied with just providing something for glammed-up camping holidays, though, the company’s taken the next logical step and created somewhere for you to actually live: Brabus has modified an island.

Rather predictably named Brabus Island, it’s a luxury real estate project that the company is building in the swishy Al Seef seafront district of Abu Dhabi, UAE. Created in collaboration with Abu Dhabi-based developer Reportage Properties, the 0.4 square mile island will be home to four high-rise towers, featuring a total of 350 apartments, plus some 100 villas.

Every home on Brabus Island will have a highly customisable interior anchored around one of three themes, and if you’re expecting pared-back Scandi minimalism or country cottage cosiness… yeah, you’re probably looking in the wrong place.

Your aesthetics of choice are Black and Bold, White Bliss or Grey Haven, each apparently inspired by Brabus’ “signature look and feel.” We see where the ‘look’ bit comes from, but we’re not sure any of these apartments will be capable of 0-62mph in under three seconds and a top speed north of 200mph. But we digress.

Brabus CEO Constantin Buschmann said: “For nearly five decades, Brabus has built products that move people – emotionally, viscerally, physically. But this is different. Now, for the first time, we’re not just designing vehicles for a lifestyle – we’re designing the lifestyle itself. Brabus Island is an exciting and very significant design opportunity, and Abu Dhabi is exactly the right place for it.”

Construction on the Isle of Brabus is set to begin this summer and is forecast to be done by early 2028, when the first residents will move into their new seaside pads. If you want to be one of them, you’ll need to cough up a minimum of €700,000 (around £600,000), with the most expensive properties running to €6.5 million (around £5.5 million). Yeah, we somehow didn’t think this was going to end up under any kind of affordable housing scheme.