The Mercedes 190E Evo II Returns to the Nürburgring — in Modern Form

A Legend on the Road and at the Track

The Mercedes-Benz 190E is a legend in many ways. The Baby Benz was uncompromisingly engineered as a miniature S-Class and renowned for its durability, dependability, and reliability. It was a time when Mercedes-Benz truly built cars that were engineered like no other in the world.

It was a brilliantly smooth car on the road, but on the race track, it was absolutely savage. The 2.3-16 and 2.5-16 models drew countless wins in touring car racing, with the Evo II being the most successful. It gave Mercedes-Benz the constructor's title in DTM in 1991 and 1992, helping Klaus Ludwig clinch his second title in '92.

Back to the 'Ring

It's been over 30 years since the 190E competed in motorsports in full capacity. Of course, it doesn't have to do much anymore as it's cemented its legacy since then. We love a comeback story, though, and the Baby Benz will be racing in the 2026 24 Hours of Nürburgring.

Okay, it's not a 190E per se, though, but rather, the HWA EVO.R. It looks like the iconic Baby Benz from the outside, but it shares little in common with the road car. The middle bit is based on the 190E, but everything beyond that is custom. That makes the EVO.R a bespoke, carbon-fiber bodied track weapon that's hunting for wins this year. The Nürburging 24 is a great way to get things started.

What's It Packing

HWA isn't mentioning how much power the race car makes, but we do know it has a heavily reengineered version of the M276 twin-turbo V6 engine from the previous-generation S-Class. It's a far cry from the original 190E 2.5-16, which had a high-revving, naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine. In road car form, the HWA Evo makes 444 hp with the option to bump that up to 493 hp. We reckon the race car will blow past the 550 hp mark.

There are double wishbones at the front and rear, with special springs and dampers for good measure. The engine is pushed further back to give it a front-midship layout for sharper handling. We're certain that HWA has more tricks up its sleeve for the competition model. The race cars will compete under the ‘SP-X’ special vehicle class. More information will be revealed before the Nürburgring 24.

Lastly, don't you dare call it a restomod — it's an entirely new vehicle from bumper to bumper. If you're interested in one of these, the road version starts at about $760,000. You have to be quick, though, as only 100 were built, and a good number of them have already been spoken for.

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