The Mercedes-Benz 190 EVO II was a homologation special that is very hard to come by these days. The model you see here is from 1990 and is No. 55 of just 500 made that year. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen one for sale, but with the ridiculous import laws here in the U.S., these beauties are just starting to make it into onto American soil. Originally aimed at BMW’s E30 M3 EVO, it was the most powerful iteration of a Mercedes’ E-Series at the time. And by power, I’m talking about a 2.50liter Cosworth engine that delivered some 232 horsepower to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission.
Other features include hydraulic suspension, bolstered seats in the front and rear, and a lap timer for those who really like to hit the track on the weekend. As you can see, the car is rather aggressive compared to the standard E-Series at the time. What I like to call old-school styling, the car featured a sporty front fascia, wide fender flares in the front and rear, attractive side skirts, and a simple, but well-defined rear fascia. Plus, there’s that massive spoiler on the rear that is visual proof that this Mercedes doesn’t exactly play nicely with others.
If those performance numbers don’t sound that impressive to you, I feel bad for you son. But, I’ll put things into perspective for you a little bit. With 232 horsepower, this beast of a Mercedes could hit 62 mph in 7.1 seconds and reach a top speed of a shocking (not) 155 mph. Now, considering Mercedes entry-level CLA 250 of today comes with 208 horsepower on tap, I can understand your confusion, but back then this was a big deal as it was one of the fastest saloons of the early ‘90s. If it helps, the 1990 Chevy Camaro came with just 210 horsepower from a 5.7-liter V-8 in Iroc-Z trim.
Anyway, back to the car at hand, this specific model has just 29,852 miles on the clock and is currently owned by a collector in NYC. That collector purchased it from the original owner in France and imported it into the U.S. It is all original, rust free, and went through recent maintenance just 11,000 miles ago. The steering wheel has been replaced with a period-correct and rare AMG wheel that was used on the DTM race cars. The stock steering wheel does come with the car when purchased along with an original Becker retrofitted with an iPod cable in the glove box, all original tools, original spare tire, original emergency medical kit, and a maintenance book. The listing for this car still has two days left as of the time of this writing with the current bid at 144,100. The unknown reserve has not been met, but the car will likely go for somewhere in the range of $200,000 to $230,000.
Why it Matters
I love it when I stumble across cars for sale like this. Being just one of 500 1990 models ever built and one of just a few that have been imported into the U.S., owning this car would be a true honor. And, you will truly turn heads everywhere you go. It’s quick, sporty, sexy, and above all, it’s a piece of Mercedes history. If you want to roll around in style, this is the car you do it in. When it comes to vehicles from the early 1990s, it really doesn’t get much better than this.
Read our full review on the 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II here.