We are massive fans of racecars here at Double Apex. We love looking at them, watching them and, most of all, we like driving them. There are just some racecars that we love more than others, and the Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II DTM is very high on our list. As it turns out, the car pictured here is for sale. Sadly, it is unlikely to find a place in our garage. Although we do still hold on to the dream of one day sliding behind the wheel for a few laps.
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Creating Legends
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) or German Touring Car series was one of the most hotly contested race series anywhere in the world in the 1990s. Many German brands were involved, as well as a few from other European countries, and it was a matter of pride for the Germans to win on home soil.
Learn more about the legendary 190E Evo by clicking here.
Mercedes-Benz threw vast sums of money and resources at the series, as did all its rivals. In 1990, Mercedes launched the 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II. The most extreme 190E had 173 kW of power, which was a far cry from the 80 kW of the 1,8-litre base model.
Images by Keno Zache used courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.
Built to Race
Evo II was the second evolution of the race-bred machines and it featured a massively upgraded four-cylinder engine. The revised engine had a shorter stroke and larger bore than the engine in the 190E 2,5-16. Other changes included a reduction in conrod mass, four instead of eight crankshaft counterweights and conversion of the camshaft drive from a duplex to a simplex roller chain.
Click here to check out modern-day interpretation of a 1990s DTM car.
The engines used in the DTM racers were based on the in-line four-cylinder units used in the production vehicles. The static compression ratio was raised to a high (for the time) 12,0:1. Output was raised from 173 kW to 275 kW in the racecars, which was produced at 9 500 r/min. This made the 980 kg racecar a proper track weapon.
In the 1992 championship season, Mercedes-Benz drivers won no less than 16 of a total of 24 DTM races with the Evo II cementing the cars’ legendary status. Klaus Ludwig won the drivers’ championship ahead of other 190E pilots Kurt Thiim and Bernd Schneider.
Once in a Lifetime
Bernd Schneider raced the car pictured (No4). The car has undergone a rebuild but remains largely period correct. It retains the iconic monochrome Sonax livery as it was raced. This Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II DTM is coming up for auction by RM Sothebys in Italy late in May of this year and one lucky DTM fan will get to call it their own.
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