Highlights
- Fantastic service history
- Current ownership since 2014
- Solid body & good paintwork
Appeal
In the mid ’80 Mercedes decided that they wanted to compete in world championship racing & rallying utilising their up and coming 190 saloon platform.
To help make the car competitive, more power was needed and so race engine designers Cosworth were employed to re-design the engine, Mercedes meanwhile went about improving the handling.
Uprated springs & dampers were fitted, along with self-levelling rear suspension. Mercedes also fitted a limited slip differential to the axle, improving grip through corners.
At the end of all this, the engine produced over 200 bhp and the Merc had the handling to match which made for a great road car and the basis for Mercedes racing touring cars.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing is an oft used phrase, but one that describes the 190E Cosworth down to a tee.
History & Paperwork
- There is a V5c registration document in the vendor’s name
- Maintenance book full of main dealer stamps
- A file of invoices for servicing works
- Owners’ handbook
- Original Mercedes folder
- A list of previous owners & works carried out over the years and by whom
- Mot until February 2023
The history is pretty extensive and traceable throughout.
Interior
Full black leather greets you as you slip into the supportive seats, all of which are in very good condition. The driver’s seat has the usual slight scuffing on the bolster as to be expected.
All door cards are complete and look to be in great condition as does the roof lining , with just slight darkening to the sunroof panel .
The sunroof tilts & slides as expected and the electric windows open and close with ease.
Dash is in good overall condition, but there is slight cracking around some of the switches, see photos The vendor tells us that all gauges work, as does the heater & air conditioning.
Carpets are good too, black of course & there is a set of fitted carpets floor carpets to go with the car. This 190E still has the original radio fitted too!
Exterior
Paintwork is very good, and the body appears sound. There is of course as expected a few stone chips to the front of the bonnet, unavoidable here.
There is a little corrosion to the driver’s side alloy door mirror and one or two small scratches around the body, but these really are minor and in no way detract from the overall appearance of this gorgeous Mercedes.
Wheels show just a little blistering under the paint, but there’s no scuffs and they are fitted with matching Goodyear Eagle tyres all round.
Mechanics
The 190E started easily for the photo shoot, with the engine sounding smooth & quiet.
There is as already mentioned, considerable service history with this car, a number of invoices & backed up by the maintenance book.
No major work has been carried out by the vendor during his tenure, only service work which of course goes to show just how well the Mercedes were built originally, not bad for a 35-year-old car.
He tells us that he’s not aware of any work that needs attention, he just wants it to go to someone who will have time to use it as intended.
Summary
As stated at the beginning, this car has been very well looked after by enthusiastic owners who had the foresight to have most of the servicing works carried out by well-known main dealers or specialists.
This is a racing homologation special, built to allow Mercedes to compete on the world stage of touring car racing, battles with the BMW M3’s of the era are legendary stuff.
Back to that wolf in sheep’s clothing, not as loud and brash as the BMW M3, more subtle and sophisticated, but just as quick in a straight line and of course around those twisty bits.
If you’re in the market for one, especially a red one ( they only came in 2 colours ) could this be the one for you, take a good look …..
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