Epic Mercedes-Benz 190E Evo II for sale

One of the great things about today’s restomod market is that it’s no longer a sea of ​​luxury Porsches and beefy E-Types. The community has become so diverse that almost every interest is well taken care of. Fancy a Lancia 037 that won’t fall apart at the slightest rain? Give Kimera a call. Have you ever wondered what a modern Ford RS200 might look like? Keep an eye on Boreham Motorworks. Even a car as boaty as the Jaguar XJS has been treated to a restomod makeover thanks to TWR – and the crazy thing is: it works.

They all have their own merits and are built by talented and endlessly creative engineers. But one car, the HWA Evo, is slightly different from the rest. It is a restomod of the legendary 190E Evo II assembled by a team responsible for some of the most successful Mercedes competition cars in history, such as the mighty CLK GTR, several DTM machines and, more recently, the AMG GT3. So if anyone would like to be in charge of redesigning one of the coolest Mercs ever, it’s them. But what if you prefer the real thing? An original car in all its winged glory? Well, aren’t you in luck, because we have exactly what you need.

Behold: an original 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E Evo II that is currently looking for a new home. Majestic, isn’t it? Naturally, the original Evo was a homologation special built to push the DTM’s production-based Group A rules to their limits. It was lower, wider and powered by a high-revving 2.5-litre engine, designed to give the 190E an edge on track. Granted, it wasn’t fast enough to secure a title, but regular wins prompted Mercedes to think again and prepare a faster, more radical Evo II for 1990.

The changes were obvious from the moment you saw it. The bodywork was now more aggressive, with sculpted wheel arches contrasting with the 190E’s angular silhouette and a huge splitter protruding from the front bumper. The wing, already considerable on the Evo I, was now (at least) twice as high as the old model, providing both more downforce and a reduction in drag to 0.29 cd. The resulting shape is one of the most distinctive shapes of the Group A era and shows how far you can go with a family sedan when there are races to be won.

However, Mercedes would share a grid with three other German car giants (plus a handful of other manufacturers), all with their eyes firmly on a DTM championship and huge bank accounts to help them achieve it. Audi’s V8 Quattro would be the class of the field in both 1990 and 1991, but the day of the Evo II would come in 1992, when Klaus Ludwig took Merc’s mega-wing monster (the one with the epic part black, part silver livery) to the title. And with that, the Evo II became a DTM legend, increasing demand for road cars exponentially.

This means that you will need a lot of change to get the car we have for sale here. Chassis 273 has been with its previous owner for the past 20 years, and it appears to have been time well spent as it has 53,190 miles on the odometer. A good run, yes, but it’s time for this Evo II to find a new owner. The entrance fee is 325,000 euros (about £282,000) and because it’s in Germany you’ll need to factor in the cost of importing it here plus tax – it’s not that cheap. But Mercedes only made 502, of which it is believed only a handful made it to Britain. So why keep waiting for one to come along when you can use it right now? Cheaper than a HWA Evo, also…