TBT: Grainy TV Footage of the Mercedes-Benz 190E 16-Valve
Let’s peer back through the looking glass of time to check out one of Mercedes’s coolest cars from the ’80s, the Cosworth-fettled 190E 16-Valve. MotorWeek posted up another one of its Retro Reviews, and it is all about that vintage speed demon. From a slalom test, to a ¼-mile sprint, to a 0-60 time, to ruminations on the use of the dog-leg manual gearbox, everything you wanted to know about the old Merc is present and accounted for in the video below.
In true MotorWeek style, they include more useful information regarding ride heights, trunk space, seating arrangements, and even simplified tech information about the car’s namesake 16-valve head.
The 190E is on my list of top 10 Mercedes-Benzs of all time, and seeing a brand new model get flogged and tested for the first time has been a joy. Even if it is a grainy old 4:3 TV video recording.
The looks are dated, the performance is laughable compared to today’s cars, and even the technology that made it all happen seems archaic, but I still love this machine, and it laid forth the groundwork for the cars we love today, like the AMG powered C63. So press play and learn a bit about Mercedes performance history.
Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>
via [MotorWeek]
