One to Buy: ex-Niki Lauda 1984 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 'Nurburgring'
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As a consequence of a burgeoning domestic touring car scene, Mercedes’ hot 190 E Group A special went on to have a stellar late-life competition career that culminated in both the DTM’s Manufacturers’ and Teams’ championships for 1991 followed by the Manufacturers’ and Driver’s titles for 1992 (when the Teams’ contest was dropped).
These high profile victories came with the last-of-the-line 190 E 2.5 Evolution 2 unveiled at Geneva in March 1990. However, arguably the most famous individual race for the Group A 190 E took place at the Nurburgring in May 1984 ahead of that weekend’s German F1 Grand Prix.
21 cars were specially prepared for the one-make contest and Mercedes convinced 20 top drivers to attend. They included former F1 champions Niki Lauda, Keke Rosberg, Alan Jones, James Hunt, Jody Scheckter, Phil Hill, Jack Brabham, John Surtees and Denny Hulme. Stirling Moss was also on hand along with Carlos Reutemann, John Watson, Klaus Ludwig, Manfred Schurti, Jacques Laffite, Udo Schutz, Hans Herrmann, Elio de Angelis, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.
Set to go under the hammer at RM Sotheby’s St. Moritz auction on September 16th is the car driven by Niki Lauda who rose from a lowly starting position of 14th to ultimately finish just 1.38 seconds behind eventual winner, Ayrton Senna.
Afterwards, Senna’s car was retained by Mercedes and Lauda’s was sold off in race trim. As for the remaining 19 cars, they were reconfigured in road trim and sold to meet the tremendous demand for the new model.
Today, this ex-Lauda 190 E 2.3-16 is offered in excellent condition throughout having undergone a comprehensive refurbishment by Mercedes-Benz back in 2017.
