One to Buy: 135,000km 1989 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution 1
/
Although Mercedes originally conceived the 190 E 2.3 Cosworth for rallying, it went on to fulfil its promise in Touring Car racing, most notably the DTM.
As part of a big push for the 1989 DTM season, Mercedes launched a bigger, more powerful 2.5-litre version of the 16 valve 190 at Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1988.
This was followed by the Evolution 1 at Geneva in March 1989 which would serve as the basis for Mercedes’ 1989 DTM cars. Most notably, the Evo 1 came with an uprated aero pack, an enhanced engine, beefier brakes and bigger wheels in order to homologate similar features for the 1989 campaign.
500 examples had to be built to comply with the Evolution regulations. Mercedes completed 502 cars between March and May of 1989, all of which were left-hand drive.
Set to go under tha hammer at Bonhams’ Goodwood Festival of Speed auction on July 14th is this low mileage domestic market Evo 1 which has resided in the UK since 1998.
Finished in the one and only colour available (Blue-Black Metallic), chassis 603555 is offered from an owner of 24 years who subjected the car to a substantial restoration in 2021. Today the mileage reads around 135,000km.
Although currently riding on 17-inch Evolution 2 wheels, the car comes complete with an array of original equipment to include the original 16-inch Evolution 1 rims (as fitted to the R129 SL).
