One to Buy: ex-Schwaben Motorsport 1988 AMG Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 Gr.A
/
Although by the time Mercedes decided to support a DTM programme the 190 E 2.3-16 was up against much newer machinery (chiefly BMW’s E30 M3), the firm’s compact class W201 went on to collect multiple Driver, Team and Manufacturer titles in Germany’s high profile Touring Car series.
For the 1988 season, Mercedes dramatically increased its DTM involvement when a fully-fledged works-backed AMG squad was supported by teams like Snobeck Racing Service, BMK Motorsport and Marko RSM who also ran AMG-built cars built to Group A trim.
Another outfit to enter an AMG-made 190 E 2.3-16 in 1988 was the Schwaben Motorsport Team who prepared this Visa Santander International-sponsored machine for Thomas von Lowis. That season, von Lowis campaigned the 190 E as a replacement for his previous M3 and proved a steady midfield contender in the ultra competitive DTM arena.
Highlights included 15th and 13th place finishes at the Avus double header in May plus other top twenty placings at Zolder, Brno and the Nurburgring. Having accumulated 14 points, von Lowis ended the season 33rd out of 66 drivers in the overall standings.
During the years that followed, the 190 E was entered in another three dozen races. Between 2023 and 2024, the car underwent a complete restoration by Mercedes-Benz Gstaad back to its 1988 trim.
Today, this sensational AMG-built Mercedes 190 E Group A DTM challenger is residing at the Mechatronik showroom in Pleidelsheim near Stuttgart.
