It may not be the most iconic Mercedes->ke187 model in history. It may not even be the finest of its own era. But there is something about the 1987 Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 that very few from its generation can come close to replicating. What that “something” is depends on what you may think of it, but for Del Necessary – yes, that’s his name – the ’87 190E 2.3-16 is the realization of a childhood dream.

I know it sounds a little cheeky, and for the most part, it is. But can you really put a price tag on getting the chance to own the one car that you’ve spent countless nights thinking of? I certainly can’t and I don’t blame Necessary for having such a soft spot for the 190E. After all, this is a car that Mercedes developed in part because it wanted to give the iconic BMW M3 E30 a run for its money. It never quite got to the level of the M3,->ke2366 but for what it’s worth, the 190E was able to etch a history and a legacy of its own independent of what Mercedes’ initial plans for it were.

Suffice to say, there are so many cars from that era that deserve to be mentioned as the best of its generation. As good as the 190E was, it probably won’t make it in that discussion. Then again, who’s to say that it can’t? The 190E was the poster of a lot of people who grew up in that era. Del Necessary was one of those people and look what he’s using as his daily driver. As for me, I always enjoyed those little wipers on the headlights. Mercedes doesn’t make them now, but they looked pretty slick on the 190E.

1985 Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3-16V

Read our full review on the 1985 Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3-16V here.