Wild, Winged, Original Mercedes 190E Evo 2 Under the Hammer

Mercedes 190E 2.5-16V Evo 2 has been sought-after for many year, especially now that restomod versions are all the rage.

The Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16V Evo 2 has been a sought-after collector’s car for many a year, especially so now that restomod versions are becoming all the rage. So, good, clean, original examples are really difficult, and expensive to come by. Like this little-driven example coming up for auction in California next week.

A purebred homologation special built simply to allow the model to race, the Evolution II became an instant hero car when race versions won two DTM German Touring Car titles on the trot in 1991 and ’92. Never mind that the wild, winged compact Mercedes was quite a thing, all on its own. On those huge-for-the-time 17-inch wheels needed to qualify it for racing homologation.

Wild, Winged Evo 2 Develops 235 HP

More than just a tea tray parked on the trunk, that wing actually produced slight downforce. To elevate racetrack grip, and as such, cause higher cornering speeds. Packing a Cosworth-built 16-valve twin-overhead camshaft short-stroke 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 10.5:1 compression, it made 235 HP at a dizzy (again, for the time) 7,200 rpm and 180 lb.-ft torque between 5,000 and 6,000 rpm.

That, and a shorter geared rear axle proved good enough to rocket the 2,975 lbs 12.6 horsepower-per-pound sedan to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds and on to 155 mph. Again, all unheard of for a basically simple small sedan at the time. The 190 2.5-16 was also the sportiest Mercedes-Benz of its time in 1990.

At $72,000 New, Evo 2 Should Make $375K in August

Still, it was not cheap. At 109,440 deutschmarks, which was $72,000, or 500 SE money, at the time, it was still quite an acquired taste. But only 500 were built, there are dime-a-dozen replicas and restomods all over the show these days. Bit originals are, well, hens teeth. And have commanded six-figure dollar prices for some years now.

Which is why RM Sotheby’s estimates that the 190E Evo 2 in the pictures will fetch between at $325,000 and $375,000 when it comes under the hammer in the mid-August California Monterey Car Week. Like every one of the 499 190E 2.5-16s delivered, this RM Sotheby’s lot is a blue-black metallic example. First registered in Lugano, Switzerland in 1991 and has only driven 30,000 miles since. Go get it!

Photos: RM Sotheby’s

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