Mercedes Monday

After an active week acquiring cars at the annual Scottsdale auto auctions, the Audrain team returned to Newport with a rare and interesting addition to the collection: a 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II. The standard Mercedes-Benz 190E was classified as a ‘compact executive car’ that was produced from 1982-1993 to compete with similar European cars such as the Audi 80, BMW 3 Series and Saab 900. Mercedes chose to homologate the 190 for use in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters race series, a popular German racing league designed for race editions of German sedans. In order for the car to become eligible for the league, Mercedes needed to produce 500 road going models that were similar to the race version. A limited number considering more than 2 million standard 190E’s were produced.
The Evolution II was released just a year after the Evolution I iteration. The Evolution II was, as the name suggests, a further reworked version of the original 190E 2.3-16, produced to keep up with its DTM competition, specifically the BMW E30 M3. Still with 16 valves, the engine has been bored and stroked to 2.5 liters – though the revised aerodynamics are the focal point of the Evolution II. The Evo II’s massive rear wing, bulging fender flares and unmistakable stance helped make this car one of Mercedes’ most iconic cars of recent years. These modifications also helped the Evo II take the top three places in the 1992 DTM Group A championship.
This car, number 256 out of 500, was meticulously maintained by its original Japanese owner for 25 years and shows less than 5000 miles on the odometer. This car was also featured in an article of Classic Driver, which you can find here: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/cars/mercedes-190e-perfect-proof-evolution-species.
The Audrain is proud to acquire this important piece of Mercedes