The 2.3-16 is more than just a W201 in a fancy bodykit. Developed by Mercedes-Benz to go rallying, it was redeployed in the DTM instead when it became clear that it stood no chance against the Audi Quattro. Powered by a willing four cylinder, 16v motor with a head provided by British racing firm Cosworth, it has nonetheless struggled to move out from underneath the shadow of the E30 M3. While the M3 has now attained legendary status amongst enthusiasts, with eye-watering prices to match, the 190E has rather languished. True, it’s not quite as fun or as fast as the M3 (especially in US specification). It’s not that fast at all, in fact: many modern day, entry level cars will pull away from it quite easily. Still, these 190E Cosworths are great  because they retain all of the admirable qualities of the W201 (a confidence inspiring, over-engineered chassis, indestructible build quality) while dialing up the fun.
Tag: 1986
The 190E 2.3-16, Mercedes’ competitor to the E30 M3, remains relatively under appreciated, with values struggling to climb higher than the mid teens for a nice example. (If you can find one. Many come to market in a sad state.) The upshot is that those looking for an 80s DTM-inspired hot rod can pick one up relatively cheaply. They’re not all that fast by today’s standards –  a humdrum Honda with a V6 would probably undoubtedly beat it in a straight line –  and the high strung four cylinder motor can be a bit finicky. But the combination of 80s Mercedes build quality, a cool aero kit, a chassis that inspires confidence and a dogleg 5 speed manual gearbox (first is down and to the left, leaving second and third directly in line) makes for a unique and enticing package.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 on eBay
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Here we have another Porsche 930 Coupe, in certain ways similar to the Guards Red 930 we featured earlier in the week in that it’s from around the time when Porsche returned the model to the US market and appears to me to be a pretty reasonable value. However, this one brings with it one serious distinction: it’s paint-to-sample Garnet Red Metallic over a really nicely contrasting Cashmere Beige and Burgundy interior. The mileage is quite reasonable at 40,700 as well! This one could be a good example of a 930 that strikes the right balance between collector and driver. Meaning: it’s low enough miles and interesting enough that collectors should take notice, but has enough miles that it can be used (at least sparingly) without harming its value. Not bad at all.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Porsche 930 Coupe on eBay
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I’m dabbling in monotones a bit this week, which I began with a green-on-green Porsche 930 and will now turn to this blue-on-blue 3.2 Carrera Coupe. Such lack of contrast isn’t always a good thing on a car, but there are particular colors where it works out fairly well. I thought the green 930 looked really good and I feel the same about this 911. And here there is some contrast as the choice of blue for the interior is a good bit darker than the exterior shade. All in all it’s actually quite beautiful. Here we have a 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe, located in California, with just 21,709 miles on it. The colors are described as light blue over blue. We don’t see the specific paint codes, but I’d wager that light blue exterior is Iris Blue Metallic, a personal favorite from this period.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe on eBay
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I have an itch to buy a W126. Yesterday I test drove a 420SEL that popped up for sale on my local Craigslist (not today’s car – we’ll get to that in a moment). The one I drove was offered at a fair price and when I noticed that it was parked only a few blocks away from my house, I felt obliged to take a look. I had never driven an SEL before. Here are my first impressions: 1. They really are huge. The hood alone seemed to stretch out for miles in front of me. I dreaded to think how far back the trunk extended. “What a nightmare this must be to park in the city,” I thought to myself, as I delicately threaded the car through DC morning traffic. 2. They look glorious in person, even when a bit dinged up, as this one was. 3. When you push down on the throttle you don’t so much surge forward, as waft gently toward the horizon on a magic carpet of dignified torque. Despite being smitten with the car I let it go in the end, concluding that, with snow and ice season just around the corner, I couldn’t justify picking up a RWD, nose-heavy V8 as a daily driver. But I did spend the afternoon gazing wistfully at other 420s for sale on the internet. That’s how I stumbled across this lovely, low mileage example for sale in Florida.