Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II Turns 30: Happy Birthday, You Classic Monster!

One of the most iconic sports sedans of the early-90s, the 190E 2.5-16 Evo II, recently blew 30 candles off its birthday cake, and Mercedes-Benz celebrated it by reminding enthusiasts why it deserves to have its name written in the automotive history book.

The road-legal version of the DTM racer that had the same moniker premiered at the 1990 Geneva Motor Show, on March 8. It was based on the 190E 2.3-16 launched in 1984 and production was capped at 502 cars, all of which were finished in the metallic blue-black paint.

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Perhaps the most eye-catching element of the car was the striking rear spoiler, which was there for aerodynamic purposes. The part was developed to increase downforce on the rear axle at high speeds and featured a lower strip that could be tilted. The front spoiler was also adjustable in two stages. Compared to the Evo I, the Evo II had 21.2 kg (46.7 lbs) extra downforce at the front and 57.1 kg (125.9 lbs) at the rear. The additional body stiffening and 17-inch alloy wheels were part of the build.

As striking as the exterior may be, it pales next to the real icing on the cake, which is the engine. This version of the sports sedan came with a naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter inline-four, which produced an impressive for the era 235 PS (232 HP / 173 kW) , and 373 PS (367 HP / 274 kW) in the DTM racers, whose engines were derived from the production vehicles.

The four-pot was the last DTM power unit developed at Mercedes-Benz, as from then on, AMG took over this task.

While the road-legal model went on to conquer the hearts of those with deep enough pockets to buy one, the DTM racer celebrated its debut between the apexes on June 16, 1990, on the Nurburgring Nordschleife. Two months later, on August 5, it secured its first victory, with Kurt Thiim in the driver’s seat, and Klaus Ludwig became the runner-up in 1991. In the 1992 championship, the Mercedes-Benz drivers won 16 out of the 24 races with the car.