When it comes to performance cars, some of the coolest earned their reputations by being pushed on the racetrack. This was especially true during the 20th century, when the slogan “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” rang in the ears of automotive product planners across the industry. Mercedes-Benz has one of the greatest racing legacies of all, and in the 1980s was doing its best to dominate the world of touring cars.
Long-term rival BMW sought to ruin its rival’s chances, though, forcing Mercedes to hire a familiar name in the industry for assistance.
Cosworth Was Enlisted To Morph Mercedes’ Sedan Into A Champ
The Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II was the wild child in the business-like Mercedes line-up of 1990.Mercedes-Benz
Having already established a commanding racing heritage in its earlier history, it wasn’t exactly unusual for Mercedes-Benz to embark on another challenge within the motorsport arena in the 1980s. In the late 1970s, Mercedes had its eye drawn to Group B rallying, so much so that it hired racing legend Cosworth to develop a new engine for its 190 series of models. The rear-wheel-drive machine ultimately never came to fruition, though, since Audi turned up with its all-wheel-drive Quattro and blasted everything else out of the water.
Rather than develop all-wheel drive for the 190 family, Mercedes instead changed tactics and decided to dominate the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) in the mid-1980s. While focused on regional racing events around Germany and the surrounding countries, the DTM resulted in world-class competition. Winning provided the 190 with a commanding motorsport pedigree.
The 190 series debuted in December 1982 as the brand’s new compact premium model. At launch, buyers could get the 190 with a carbureted 2.0-liter four-cylinder, and the 190 E had the same powerplant with the mechanically-electronically controlled Bosch KE-Jetronic injection system.
In September 1984, Mercedes began building the sporty 190 E 2.3-16. It used the brand’s 2.3-liter four-cylinder with Cosworth’s new 16-valve dual-overhead-camshaft cylinder head. The company proved the car’s toughness before putting the machines on sale by doing an eight-day high-speed durability test.
While the 190 E won races, it struggled to claim the ultimate prize against the likes of BMW, Ford, and even British brand Rover. That said, Mercedes only produced the cars before selling them to privateers, but this all changed in the late 1980s.
Wanting to see more success from its then-new M3, BMW elected to take on the DTM with a full factory program, a decision that ultimately forced Mercedes to unleash its own works project shortly after. Needing to get the better of its bitter rival, Mercedes dialed up Cosworth once more.
The 190 E Evolution II Was the Car’s Final Form
The Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II was the wild child in the business-like Mercedes line-up of 1990.Mercedes-Benz
The 190 E Evolution I made its debut in 1989, and it sported a wide range of upgrades versus the original creation. The major change was taking the existing 2.3-liter four-cylinder and boring it out to 2.5 liters. It has a peak power output of 195 horsepower in road-going form. Upgrades included an improved lubrication system and redesigned pistons that helped make this power gain possible. Other alterations to the Evo included an adjustable suspension system, which could be adjusted via a switch in the cockpit, as well as a revised body kit.
Even these enhancements proved insufficient against the progressing competition, with BMW’s M3 proving troublesome, while newcomers Audi immediately proved to be a force with its huge four-wheel drive V8 DTMs. Mercedes thus greenlit another evolution of the 190E, a development that would make its debut in 1990.
Cosworth’s Engine Received A Once-Optional Upgrade
The Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II was the wild child in the business-like Mercedes line-up of 1990.Mercedes-Benz
While the 2.5-liter engine remained pretty much identical, Cosworth debuted a tweaked ECU to help extract more grunt, while Mercedes’ optional AMG PowerPack was also included as standard. The upgrade included a revised inlet manifold, altered camshafts, a larger throttle body, and a new exhaust manifold. When combined with the updated software, the so-called 190 E Evolution II pumped out 235 hp. Mercedes was happy with the suspension and steering improvements it had found with the original Evo, so it instead focused on improving how it worked with the surrounding air to find further performance gains.
Working in conjunction with a German university professor who specialized in aerodynamics, considerable time and effort went into developing a revised body kit to afford the car extra grip and stability at high speed. The finished article sported a more aggressive splitter and rear wing arrangement, as well as fender flares that helped direct the rushing air to exactly where Mercedes’ engineers wanted it to go. The result was a car with significantly more downforce to play with, improving medium- and high-speed performance convincingly. There were other benefits too, as the 190’s redesigned silhouette also sported a lower 0.29 drag coefficient, ensuring it could reach a higher top speed.
While many examples were destined for the racetrack, Mercedes built 502 examples of the 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II as production vehicles. They sold out pretty much instantly due to how well-received the original Evo was in 1989. The Evo II was lavished with praise as well, with its sharp handling and slightly quicker steering versus the Evo I making it feel more agile than you’d expect from a practical four-door sedan such as the 190.
Securing A 190 E Evo II Will Prove Costly
The Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II was the wild child in the business-like Mercedes line-up of 1990.Mercedes-Benz
Perhaps you fancy getting your hands on one of the coolest sports sedans of the 1990s, and who wouldn’t? The thing is, you’re going to need some very deep pockets if you fancy having your very own 190 E Cosworth Evo II at home. As the fastest and most successful version of the breed, and very rare, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the machine has become a collector’s favorite over the past couple of decades.
According to online results, the average sale price currently sits at a cool $343,285, putting it well out of the budgets of most gearheads. What’s even crazier is that you’ll need to spend that kind of money to get one with higher mileage, as illustrated by a specimen offered by Exclusive Auto Group. Despite having just over 68,000 miles on the clock, the car is currently being offered for $341,000. If you want a low-miler, you’d best budget for a minimum of half a million dollars.
Still, at least it’s cheaper than its BMW M3 Sport Evolution rival, which currently sports an average sale price of just shy of $390,000. Plus, one recently went for the equivalent of $523,000. Well, at least the 190E Evo II was successful on track.
The 190E Crushed It On The Track, But The M3 Had It Covered On The Road
Black 1989 BMW M3 Sport Evolution frontBMW
Mercedes and Cosworth’s efforts ultimately proved fruitful, since the 190 E Cosworth Evo II enjoyed plenty of success in the DTM. Despite being edged to the 1991 DTM crown by Audi’s Frank Biela, the great Klaus Ludwig managed to claim five wins that year, which left him clear of the best BMW driver, who was fourth-placed Johnny Cecotto. Ludwig went one better in 1992 though, as he cruised to the title courtesy of another five victories. Mercedes cleaned up with the Evo II as well, as Kurt Thiim and Bernd Schneider completed an all-Merc 1-2-3 in the drivers’ standings.
A revised 190 E enjoyed a successful 1993 too, though Alfa Romeo ultimately beat the likes of Ludwig, Schneider and runner-up Roland Asch to the drivers’ title. It was replaced by the new Mercedes C-Class-based racer for the 1994 campaign.
The thing is, while the 190 E Evo II soundly beat the M3 on the track, the BMW was still the favored weapon on the road. The M3 Sport Evolution produced slightly more power than even the upgraded 190 E Evo II, while being over 300 pounds lighter. The result was that the BMW was not only faster, but it also felt sharper and better in your hands because it was so much lighter. The Mercedes was known as the more docile of the two, and was thus better for longer trips, but the M3 was the car you wanted for a white-knuckle push along a thrilling back road.
Still, very few manufacturers ultimately get the chance to get the better of the mighty BMW consistently, and the 190 E managed that in the DTM. It was a true illustration of the greatness that can be achieved when every little detail is stitched together, which allowed it to become one of the brightest jewels in Mercedes’ long racing legacy.
Sources: BMW, Classic.com, Mercedes-Benz
