Brabus turns the Range Rover into a pickup truck

The mighty Range Rover has been converted into one of the world's most exclusive pickups following the best coachbuilding tradition that was once common for English luxury cars in particular. Brabus' STARTECH engineers and constructors employed state-of-the-art technology to develop the conversion from a five-door car to a classy transport specialist with pickup bed that has the same torsional rigidity as the original car.

The elaborate nature of the STARTECH body conversion is demonstrated by the mere fact that the transformation from an off-roader to a pickup required designing and manufacturing no less than 100 bodywork components from aluminium, carbon fibre and steel.

The plastic-lined pickup bed is almost square and with the tailgate closed, offers a loading length of 1,100mm. When the tailgate is opened, another 600mm is available for carrying cargo.

The exclusive multi-purpose supercar is powered by the 5.0-litre supercharged engine rated at 526bhp. It pushes the STARTECH Pickup from rest to 100km/h in just 5.3 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h. The new exhaust system features active electronic control of the V8's exhaust note from the cockpit ranging from decidedly sporty to subtle. What's more, the sophisticated exhaust gas routing achieves an additional increase in power output by 16bhp.

The interior, which was likewise given a new look in the company upholstery shop, sparkles with a mix of the finest leather, Alcantara and carbon fibre elements precisely colour coordinated with the exterior. Incidentally, the STARTECH Pickup concept goes beyond merely offering functional and visual advantages. In many countries of the world, luxury cars such as the Range Rover are subject to high-import duties and luxury taxes.

The conversion to a pickup means that the STARTECH multi-utility vehicle meets the prerequisites to be registered as a commercial vehicle in many countries, which often eliminates these fees when the vehicle is imported. As a result, despite the elaborate conversion, the exclusive pickup may be cheaper for owners in such states than a production luxury SUV.