Retro racing icon re-born for the road

With more than a bit of DTM DNA, this restomod Merc packs some serious grunt.

HWA has created this limited edition resto-mod 190E

German engineering firm HWA will build a limited batch of DTM-inspired Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II tributes – complete with modern twin-turbo V6 running gear.

There’s no old 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine here, just a brand new, Mercedes-sourced 3.0-litre unit producing 331kW and 550Nm. It’s mated to a six-speed manual transmission powering the rear wheels only.

With kerb weight just 1360kg, performance should be lively, with a promised top speed of 270km/h. HWA said the car uses carbon-fibre body structure and has a 50/50 weight distribution, and uses “DTM suspension” with both ABS and ESP.

Externally, HWA fits staggered 19-inch front, 20-inch rear forged wheels, while the head-lights and tail-lights are LED with front daytime running lamps (DRLs). Inside, there’s modern climate control, a digital instrument cluster and an integrated roll cage, as well as two front Recaro classic seats.

Impressively, HWA crash-tested an early prototype and pledged to create its own front superstructure in order to improve safety of the car.

The brand said it will build no more than 100 vehicles, each A$1.15m (and no, you did not read that wrong). Deliveries will commence from 2025.

HWA, whose founder was also a co-founder of AMG, is one of Germany’s leading automotive engineering companies, having launched in 1998. The company builds and runs Mercedes race cars in series from Formula E to GT3, has produced engines for Pagani and was responsible for manufacturing the SL65 Black Series. So it knows its Mercs.

Mercedes-AMG 190E Evolution II was a DTM icon

The HWA Evo, as it’s called, continues the ‘restomod’ trend – that sees iconic older vehicles restored and fitted with modern technology and components.
Various companies have given the restomod treatment to all manner of classic vehicles now, from the Ford Bronco to Toyota LandCruiser, Jaguar E-Type, BMW M3 CSL, Porsches and Alfa Romeos. And more recently, TWR imagined a modern version of Tom Walkinshaw’s Jaguar XJS.

The original 190E was first shown at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show. With a Cosworth-developed 2.3-litre inline-four, the 190E found fame in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) where it did heated battled with its arch-foe, the BMW M3. Driving a 190E Evo II, Klaus Ludwig won the 1992 DTM championship.

The Evo II was the ultimate 190E with a DTM-inspired bodykit and a race-bred, 2.5-litre inline-four. Production started in 1990 and all 502 examples sold before the car was even officially unveiled.