At the end of the 70s, Mercedes competed in the rally mainly with the 450 SLC 5.0 model, but the desire of the German company was to introduce the 190 E model into this competition. It was this model that was the inspiration for the HWA tuner project that presented Mercedes-Benz 190E HWA EVO.
Following Mercedes’ decision to enter the 190 E into rally competition, the British engineering company Cosworth developed a 2.3-L 16V engine. It debuted in 1983, and five years later it was replaced by a new 2.5-L 16V engine.
With the debut of the BMW M3 Evolution 2 in 1988, it was clear that Mercedes had to increase the power of the 2.5-L 16V engine, so at the 1989 Geneva Auto Show the 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution (EVO I) debuted. Just one year later, the new EVO II model was presented.
Now HWA is revealing a restomod of this model, although the company’s technical director Gordian von Schöning says it’s more than that.
The Mercedes-Benz 190E EVO II brought Mercedes the DTM Championship title in 1992, and HWA’s EVO is not based on one of the 502 original cars, not even the 190E 2.5-16 model. The basis was the Mercedes 190, but HWA’s engineers worked so hard on it that it can be said that the car is far from the original. The donor car was completely disassembled, aluminum components and steel subframes were installed, which allowed the suspension to be mounted directly to the chassis. Also, the front axle has been moved forward by 50 mm.
Under the hood is a new 3.0-L V6 biturbo engine with 540 hp, mated to a new 6-speed manual transmission that sends power to the rear axle. DTM carriages, hubs, H&R balance bars and KW shocks are installed, which can be ordered with manual and electronic adjustment. Customers can choose between steel and carbon Bosch brakes.
When it comes to price, the Mercedes-Benz 190E EVO II Restomod costs 714,000 euros.
Source: HWA
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