Built in conjunction with British engineers Cosworth to rally before the Audi Quattro debuted (and siphoned instead into the DTM when Mercedes realized it stood no chance), the 190E 2.3-16 marries the handsome lines and tank-like build quality of the W201 chassis with a race-tuned four pot engine and a muscular and aerodynamically purposeful bodykit. We’ve featured a number of 16 valvers on the site lately and I’m beginning to wonder if there has (finally) been an uptick in the market for these cars. It does seem as though there are more nice examples out there for sale with every passing year, in contrast to the raft of rotted out and abused ones that used to dot Craigslist not too long ago.
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We have 15 years of archives. Links older than a year may have been updated to point to similar cars available to bid on eBay.Tag: Pearl Black
The other day I wrote up a Euro-Spec 190E 2.3-16, noting that the seller must have good taste in cars since there was a W126 pictured in the background. It turns out that W126 is also for sale. It’s a 300SE. These are my favorite old Benzes. Imposing and timeless, these old S-classes still look beautiful today and remind you of an era when Mercedes built stately cars of bank-vault solidity. It’s a real treat to see one in mint condition, which is not that uncommon. Many of the original, wealthy owners have held on to these since new and maintained them at whatever cost necessary. Looking like it just rolled out of the factory, this appears to be such a car.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE on eBay
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I’ve posted several 190Es since joining GCFSB, making no secret of my love for the W201. But I haven’t yet written up a 2.3-16, the high-performance version developed in conjunction with Cosworth to go racing at the DTM. It’s not because I don’t like them. Far from it; I lusted after one of these when I was in the market for a W201 a few years ago. But the 16v models in my price range were all wrecks and so I settled for a stock 2.6 instead. (I did, however, get my hands on a full 16v body kit but, as some of you will know, I crashed my car before I had the chance to install it). The reason is rather that many of these come to market in poor shape, and it takes a special car to pique my interest. This one has it’s faults but, being a European market gray import, it also has a few redeeming features.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 on eBay
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The product of a Porsche-Mercedes collaboration built on the W124 platform E-class, the 500E is a 90s super sedan that tends to fly under the radar (or did, until recently, when the collector market began to take an interest). The flared fenders and squat stance are the only external cues that set these cars apart from your average Stuttgart taxi. But beneath the surface lies a wider track, beefier brakes and a 5.0 liter V8 engine developing about 326 hp. That lump is sufficient to propel the 500E to 60 in just under 6 seconds. While that’s not super impressive by today’s standards, it was quick for the time. And the chief virtue of the 500E was never really its acceleration from a standstill (torquey and quick, though it was). It was its ability to cruise the autobahn at 160 mph all day, every day, while four passengers sat in dignified comfort in the cabin.
