Mercedes-Benz Once Threw an Extra Engine Into an A-Class

By Tony Markovich - September 12, 2016

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Today, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class AMG has one of the best power-per-liter ratios on the planet. Those lovable maniacs are able to make 355 horsepower from a 2.0-liter turbo-inline-four. But the A45 AMG isn’t the only A-Class that has been capable of power hoarding, and interestingly enough, the extra source of oomph wasn’t from a turbocharger, it was from an entirely additional engine. Yep, in 1998, Mercedes created the A190 Twin Study that you see here.

To this day, it’s one of the strangest cars Mercedes-Benz has ever made. The A-Class had only been in existence for a year (it debuted in 1997), but MB wanted to build something spicy to help promote the car and the new platform. So, for some reason, they built something that would likely never actually make it into production. A 1.9-liter engine was set into the rear and gave the car all-wheel drive. With the twin engines, the car was capable of making 250 horsepower and could sprint to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds! Or, if you weren’t into that, you could switch off the rear and bring it back down to 125 horsepower. That was the genius of using the A-Class automatic clutch.

There were several other adjustments the car needed to suit the extra power. Mercedes swapped in the E55 AMG’s brakes and added 18-inch wheels, so the wheel wells were flared too. Benz also added better cooling, and extra aero in the form of a front spoiler, side skirts, and a different rear.

To learn more about this wild animal, head over to Jalop for the full scoop, then let us know what you think.