Nostalgia is a wonderful thing. It helps us to recall favourite eras of our lives, times that made us feel good. For many motorsport fans, us included, the golden era of saloon car racing was the German Touring Car (DTM) battles of the 1990s. The folks at FCP Euro feel the same, which is why they created the Golden Era Project 190E DTM. 

Follow Double Apex on Instagram and Facebook where we share more car content.

Buy now and take advantage of free delivery in South Africa on orders over R349.

The Background

FCP Euro is an American-based parts company that specialises in, you guessed it, European car parts. The director of motorsports at FCP Euro, Nate Vincent, hatched an idea to create a restomod that is a complete nod to the kerb-hopping DTM cars of the 1990s.

“The 190E was a champion in its day but has sort of continued to fly under the radar as a potential modern motorsports platform… I wanted to do something different and inspire others to do the same. It still has that credibility, but is very affordable to get into and has a tremendous amount of potential.”

The Process

To start, the Golden Era Project 190E DTM needed a base car. The team bought one online and brought it back to their workshop where it was stripped of everything, including its six-cylinder engine and automatic transmission. The car was rebuilt from the ground up. Part of the upgrade process included C63 AMG suspension and brakes, along with a BMW-sourced steering system. The rack is completely unassisted. 

Click here to check out a 190E Evo tribute with V8 power.

The Powertrain

DTM cars of the 1990s had high-revving engines (up to 11 000 r/min) that were really trick. FCP Euro went a different direction to ensure they’d have some form of reliability. The team chose the Mercedes-AMG M133 powerplant, which was originally found in the first-gen A45/CLA45/GLA45. In stock form it produced 265 kW and 450 N.m of torque. A seven-speed DCT sent power to all four wheels.

Learn more about Mercedes-Benz 500E at this link.

However, Golden Era Project 190E DTM would remain as close to the spirit of a DTM car as possible. So the team installed the engine in a longitudinal orientation. A custom carbon-fibre propshaft sends power to the rear axle, but not before it passes through a six-speed manual gearbox taken from an SLK. When the team from FCP Euro was done the engine made 250 kW at the wheels, about 300 at the crank with about 460 N.m of twist action.

The car had its first outing just a few days ago and its creators documented the test drive in the video below. If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to share it using the social media buttons below.

Images: FCP Euro