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Homologation for motorsport is nothing new, but it’s uncommon that a vehicle will make the transition into multiple race series. Mercedes-Benz had intentions of rally competition with the 190E when it was introduced in the early 1980s, but, as they say, life is timing. With the Audi Quattro lighting up the World Rally scene, Mercedes became a bit gun shy of the proposition. Instead, they decided to go racing in the newly devised Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (German Touring Car) race series. The first years of this series were legendary, with Mercedes going head to head with E30 BMW M3s on the track in some epic battles.
The two competition 190Es we’ll take a look at today were intended for two very different race series. The first 190E we’ll take a look at is for sale in Holland and was intended for the rally circuit.
The 1980s were quite a decade. Maybe I’m nostalgic because my formative years span that decade, but this was a golden era for motor racing, with Group B rallying and the series this Mercedes-Benz was devised for, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, or DTM. A number of great cars have appeared in this series, but none so legendary as the matchup between the BMW E30 and the Mercedes-Benz 190E Cosworth. While it’s generally agreed the BMW had a bit of the edge on the Mercedes, the Benz had plenty to offer in its own right. It wasn’t outright fast in street form, it had an increase in power over the stock models, a dogleg manual gearbox and tuned suspension that was uncommon for Mercedes at the time. This 190E 2.3-16 for sale in Austin, Texas Miami is a sympathetically cared for example with a just a few issues that need sorting.
In the 1980s, it was a heck of a lot easier to get European spec cars into the U.S., as witnessed by the still substantial…
It isn’t often that an Evolution model 190E comes up for sale. We usually notice when one does. With only 502 of these produced, to…
The 1980s were a time was German performance blossomed. Cars like the Audi Quattro and BMW M3 redefined the sports car formula and laid the…
