Posts Tagged ‘190E’

No Box Flares – 1987 Mercedes 190E 2.3-16

January 25, 2016

There aren’t many ways into a limited production car, built for homologation purposes, with a genuine motorsports connection, within our self-imposed budget cap. The Cosworth-head version of the W201 190E is a pretty rare car, and it takes quite a bit of luck to find one with a manual transmission that hasn’t been neglected or subjected to questionable modifications. With a couple of thousand made – a quick search shows production of somewhere in the 2-3000 range – and some of those equipped with 4-speed automatic transmissions, and plenty with over 200,000 miles on them, it’s worth a closer look at this Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 for sale for $4500 in Vancouver, WA.

1987 Mercedes 190E right rear

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Cheap Cossie – 1986 Mercedes 190E 2.3-16

October 22, 2013

Cosworth-powered cars are fairly rare on North American soil. Compared to what was available in Europe, we only received the Chevrolet Cosworth Vega, which was a great concept that fell down in the execution, and the Mercedes 190E 2.3-16, which was a great car that has lived in the shadow of the contemporary BMW M3. Mercedes had originally asked Cosworth to develop an engine for a rally version of their new 190E, but when Audi came out with the all-conquering Quattro, Mercedes side-stepped and took its car to touring races. This required homologation sales, so the road-going 190E 2.3-16 was developed for sale. Adding a twin cam 16-valve head, lightened pistons and upgraded rings yielded 49hp over the regular 2.3’s 136hp, though the engine was detuned to 167hp for the North American market. You can find your own Anglo-Teutonic screamer in this 1986 Mercedes 190E 2.3-16, available for $3500 in Berkeley, CA.

1986 Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 left front

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East Coast vs. West Coast – Pair of 1985 Mercedes 190E 2.3 5-speeds

September 21, 2013

With BMW M3s going skywards in value, I’ve been fantasizing about picking up a similar car while they’re still at the bottom of their depreciation curve. Unfortunately a good, sorted BMW M5 or Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth will still set you back $15-20,000, possibly more for a stellar example. Sooo, what to do on a baby budget? Pick up a version of the first baby Benz, that’s what – and it might be a surprise that these little cars were available with 5-speed manual transmissions when they came out. Check out the first choice, a pale yellow 1985 190E 2.3 for $2000 in Durham, NC.

1985 Mercedes 190E 2.3 right front

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