How The Mercedes 190E Became a 765 Hp Supercar

The restomod boom is not hard to explain. Modern performance cars are brutally fast, but they can also feel over-digitised, and a little samey. A good restomod gives you the shape, sound, and mechanical involvement of a classic, then adds in speed, braking, and reliability that the original never had. The best ones do both jobs without turning into pastiche.

Enter the Vespera Iride Evo 5, a new take on a modern classic that comes from Italy. It taps into the 190E’s old touring car image, but it also acknowledges that most enthusiasts want more than nostalgia now. They want a car that can embarrass contemporary machinery. They want manual gears, rear drive, visual drama, and real craftsmanship in the same object.

A favourite

The original 190E EVO II still sits at the centre of the story. Built in 1990 as a DTM homologation special, it used a 2,5-16v Cosworth four-cylinder with 175 kW. Only 502 cars were made. That scarcity, plus the racing link and the outrageous bodywork, is why every modern reinterpretation keeps coming back to it.

German specialists HWA started the trend with the HWA Evo, a completely reimagined version of the classic. HWA completely strips down an original and builds it up with a great deal of new tech, materials and a new-age Mercedes powerplant. Learn more at this link. The company is planning a 100-car build run.

The 190E shape gets a carbon suit

The Vespera Iride Evo 5 takes the familiar silhouette of the 190E, stretches it, widens it, and drags it into supercar territory without losing the outline that made the original so appealing.

Built in Italy as a bespoke restomod, the Evo 5 takes its cues from the 190E EVO II, the DTM-bred homologation special that remains one of Mercedes’ most recognisable performance cars. Vespera has not treated it like a museum piece. The boxy greenhouse, flared arches, and wing all remain. The body is now carbon fibre, the stance is wider by 200 mm overall.

The details then get sharpened for the modern-day user. Full LED headlights replace period lamps, OZ Rally Racing wheels add motorsport flavour, and the rear end carries the sort of spoiler that makes even a parked car look like it is heading out on a quali lap. The Montreal green finish is an interesting choice.

The headline numbers

At the centre of the Evo 5 sits a Mercedes M103 six-cylinder enlarged to 3,0 litres and force-fed to 563 kW. Torque comes in at 910 N.m. This is not a nostalgic cruiser with a loud exhaust. It is a 190E that has been recast as a serious performance machine.

Vespera fits a six-speed close-ratio manual, sends power to the rear wheels, and uses a mechanical limited-slip differential. A car like this would lose half its appeal if it tried to hide behind paddles and software. The figures back up the attitude. Claimed kerb weight is 1 450 kg, which results in a 0 to 100 km/h sprint in 3,4 seconds, and top speed is listed at 299 km/h.

Each car is also tailor-made for its buyer. No two examples need to be identical. If you are paying this kind of money for a restomod, you are not looking for a showroom template. You want a car with your name all over it.