- HWA has revealed additional tech details about its $760,000 EVO, which it describes as “more than a restomod.”
- Strengthened body structure is fortified with aluminum and steel subframes, and is twice as stiff as an original 190 sedan’s.
- Bosch supplies steel or carbon brakes, the suspension is DTM-derived and features KW and H&R components.
“The EVO is far more than just a ‘restomod,’” says HWA’s CTO Gordian von Schöning of his company’s take on the classic Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 EVO II. And to prove his point HWA has dropped more details and images to show exactly why this winged monster costs €714,000 ($760,000).
Although it’s inspired by the EVO II, the final iteration of the hot 190, and the car that in 1992 finally bagged Mercedes a DTM Championship, HWA’s EVO isn’t based on one of those 502 original cars, or even a 190E 2.5-16. The starting point is a humble 190, though by the time HWA’s engineers are done with it there’s precious little left.
Related: HWA’s Modern Mercedes 190E Evo Gets Twin-Turbo V6, Carbon Skin, And KW Dampers
The donor car is stripped back to a bare shell before the front and rear sections are removed and replaced with motorsport-grade aluminum and high-strength steel subframes allowing the suspension to be mounted directly to the chassis for better handling precision.
And although the donor car’s central body structure remains, it gets reinforcements before the entire chassis is electro-coated for OEM-spec corrosion resistance. HWA says 75 percent of the original Mercedes is replaced and the finished body is more than twice as torsionally stiff as it was before the mods.
Pushing the front axle forward by 50 mm, relocating the now-six-speed manual transmission to the rear axle, and wedging the 444 hp (540 PS) bi-turbo 3.0-liter V6 up to the firewall helps HWA meet its 50:50 weight distribution target. And capitalizing on that is a suspension setup that includes DTM-derived wishbones, billet hubs H&R anti-roll bars, and KW dampers that can be ordered in manually or electronically adjustable forms.
Customers also get to choose between steel and carbon brakes, both from Bosch, who also helped develop an ESP system, something that HWA, who built the CLK-GTR Strassenversion for Mercedes 25 years ago, is very proud of.
“It is unheard of for a bespoke, low volume manufacturer like HWA to partner with a top-tier OEM supplier like Bosch for such a limited production run,” said von Schöning, referring to the fact that only 100 of the carbon-skinned sedans are planned. Most are apparently already spoken for, but there are a few slots left if you want something a little different from an expensive reimagined Porsche 911.
