Mercedes-Benz 190 E Cosworth Evo II: Coolest Forbidden Fruit
The ultimate 190 E never made it to U.S. shores. Neither did these nine other cars.
We often find ourselves sucked into videos like this one from Donut Media that showcases the ten coolest cars banned in the US. We wonder if there might be a few cars we haven’t heard of. Then there’s discovering the ever mysterious first place spot. We won’t spoil anything, but suffice it to say that the journey is far better than the destination.
Along the way there are classics like the Bugatti EB110 SS, Renault 5 Turbo II, Audi RS6 Avant, and the tantalizing Mercedes 190E Cosworth Evo II. We’ve also heard it called the 190E 2.5-16 Evo II. This homologation special was the result of the friendly competition between Mercedes-Benz and BMW in the DTM race series. The 190E Evo II sported a 2.5-liter I-4 that produced 235 hp with a little help from Cosworth. Performance was quite impressive by early 1990’s standards, with a top speed of 155 mph (250 kph) and a 0-62 mph (100 kph) time of 7.1 seconds.
Mercedes produced just 502 examples and sold them to the public, though it declined to sell any of them in the United States. Hence earning a place on this “forbidden fruit” list, which can be more accurately described as “previously-forbidden fruit”. Despite the ban when new, a handful of the already small population have made their way across the seas and into the hands of domestic collectors.
CHECK OUT: What the Forum Has to Say About the Ultimate 190 E
Back in January we reported on a tastefully modified Evo II that was to cross RM Sotheby’s auction block. The modifications were carefully selected from the Mercedes DTM race cars, so the Evo was actually even closer to race-spec, while never suffering the abuse of actual competition. It sold for an astronomical $220,000.
Skip to the 1:40 point in the video for a listen of the Evo II’s raspy four-banger doing its best race car impression. I know I’d drive it.
