Mercedes->ke187 certainly offers its own lineup of heavily tuned cars, but for some people that is just not enough. The thought of having a V12 engine in your vehicle is something that most people only dream of and Ferrari owners get to enjoy. The smooth and strong power delivery coupled with a deep growl from all 12-cylinders firing in sequence is the stuff dreams are made of and for some lucky E-class owners the dream has become a reality. Speedriven is a Chicago based firm that we have covered before and their latest Mercedes project is one of the most impressive.

The Mercedes E-class has been a modified platform ever since the original E50 AMG model. It provides the right balance of size and performance capability in order to receive certain upgrades. Brabus was the first company to develop a V12 version of the car and shoehorn the 6.0-liter Mercedes V12 from the S-class inside the engine bay. This version is still being built on the E-class of today, albeit in very limited numbers. One gentleman has been attempting to put a V12 inside of his W211 E-class, but it took him a lot of time to find the engine and somewhat capable of doing the conversion. Speedriven seems to have found the right formula to make this type of swap efficient.

Speedriven considers this car to have “the right” power now that a monster V12 has been stuffed under the hood. That, quite simply, is not true, the right power for this car is the standard 5.0-liter V8. It has considerable thrust and won’t break the bank at the pump. My E55 has way too much torque and enough horsepower to embarrass lesser automobiles on the freeway. I'm not saying this as a bad thing, because I LOVE the torque and it is almost intoxicating. Nonetheless, stuffing a V12 in this car is insane, in a good way. It has become the ultimate sleeper car that could blow the doors off nearly anything that pulls up next to it at a stop light.

Hit the jump for more details on Speedriven EV12.

2011 Mercedes E-Class V12 by Speedriven

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2011 Mercedes E-Class V12 by Speedriven
  • Engine/Motor: V12
  • Horsepower: 700
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Making an EV12

The engine integration was done by Tim Stoll at ALSA Automotive Engineering in Dubai, while the performance upgrades and software tuning were handled by Speedriven in Chicago, IL. The EV12 benefits from Speedriven's collection of aftermarket hardware, which includes top-mounted water-to-air intercoolers, “scorpion” air intakes, larger fuel injectors, and Speedriven's billet-wheel turbochargers. Most of these products are usually reserved for someone that comes through the door with a S600 or CL600 and this was the first time these technicians got to put them under the hood of a W211. The upgraded machinery is guided by Speedriven ECU and TCU software and generates over 700 rear-wheel horsepower.

Speedriven did not want to leave the car looking like a stock E-class and decided to include what is widely regarded as the best body kit for the W211. The full Brabus->ke368 package includes a new front bumper, rocker panels and rear bumper. It is subtle, but at second glance lets you know there is something special about this particular car. They also included a Vorsteiner hood that features slats to vent the top-mounted intercoolers. Once completed the car had been turned into a completely different machine, but is still capable of everyday duty as a midsize sedan. Its personality could change at any minute, with the most minute input to the accelerator pedal and that is what makes this a beast.