We have been following the progress of the HWA Evo since the company announced it would be creating a very special version of the famous homologation special. You can read previous articles about it by clicking here. The vehicles seen up until point have been renders. Now, the company has revealed the HWA Evo Concept, the first working demonstrator.

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“At HWA, we have wanted to create a modern version of the Evo II for some time, and it is not a task we undertake lightly considering the car’s legendary status with enthusiasts and its history in the DTM. Our philosophy with the HWA EVO is to build an extremely dynamic but fully usable road car that can withstand the rigours of extreme track driving while retaining the spirit of the original car,” explains HWA CTO, Gordian von Schöning.

Click here to check out more Mercedes-Benz 190E content on our website.

Ground-up Resto

As reported HWA will start with cooking variety 190Es and not Evo or Evo II versions. Donor cars are completely stripped down in preparation for their new life. The donor vehicle’s steel monocoque is extensively reinforced. As a result the restomod is far stiffer than the original. Newly  designed front and rear aluminium sub-assemblies are installed. 

HWA head of commercial, Alex Langhein says: We have remained unerringly true to Bruno Sacco’s original iconic design language, with which he transformed Mercedes-Benz. For example, take the square-lined upper section of the car, which retains the original specification glass.”

The HWA Evo stays true to the original car’s design but with an added level of aggro. DTM-inspired arches are incorporated into the front and rear fenders as single-piece carbon-fibre components. These cover 19-inch front and 20-inch rear six-spoke forged wheels. There are also some funky, retro-looking aero discs. The front has a deep splitter and there rear has a massive wing with an extendable flap

New Mechanicals

A Mercedes-sourced 3,0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 is the powerplant of choice for this reimagined modern classic.  This is quite a departure from the high-revving inline four that was developed for the race special. Click here to read about what made the 190E Evo II so special. HWA created a bespoke ECU system for the engine. As a result it produces a fair deal more power over ‘standard’.

Christiaan Liebeton, technical project leader of powertrain: “We wanted to create a highly agile and drivable car for both the road and track, and the compact V6 bi-turbo proved an ideal starting point to achieve those values.” Our guess is that it the same engine that powered the previous generation C43 AMG sedan.

The dry-sumped engine will produce 331 kW (450 hp) as standard with 550 N.m of torque. An optional ‘Affalterbach’ package can raise the power output to 368 kW (500 hp) if you wish. Either way, the HWA Evo has a handy level of power for a car that will tip the scales at 1 360 kg. A six-speed manual transaxle sends power solely to the rear wheels. The more powerful version has a top speed of 300 km/h while the lower power variant can do 270 km/h flat out.

The HWA Evo Concept features double wishbones at each corner, which is complete revision from the original design. The large alloys will shroud massive discs (380 mm front/360 mm rear). A race-derived ABS system will modulate multi-pot calipers front and rear.

HWA says that just 100 units will be built and that prices starts at about R14m (before landing in SA). Each car will come with a 12-month/20 000 km warranty.