Back in the 80s, there was a serious arms race between BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The prize was the overall victory in the coveted DTM racing series.
At the time they were the two heavy hitters and both brought out exceptional homologation specials. The BMW M3 went on to become something more than just a dedicated homologation car. It was also produced in relatively large numbers, at least compared to the more exclusive 190E Evo cars, although it should be noted that the M3 too had an Evo variant. It was that car that pushed Mercedes-Benz to develop the Evo II, something that would at the very least keep up with the BMW on the road and take the fight to it on track.
Surprisingly, on track it was the Merc that would come out tops, skidding into the record books and posters all over the world.
8 Homologation Specials
One thing that truly sets these cars apart from just about anything else Mercedes-Benz has ever made is the fact that these sedans were developed with a singular purpose; win races.
Where BMW was able to shift thousands of M3’s, Mercedes-Benz were more than happy to just make the bare minimum, slapping a fairly obscene price on it and calling it a day for the production run. This car was all about the track, everything else was secondary.
7 Tuned By Cosworth
Although all the 2.3-liter and 2.5-liter heads were developed by Cosworth, these 2.5-liter 16 valve Evo cars were also tuned by them to optimize the power delivery.
Evo engines also had a shorter stroke, upping the rev limit and allowing the cars to rev harder and faster. Power figures were also up to 230 horsepower with the AMG performance pack fitted (an option for the Evo I, standard fitment for the Evo II).
6 Rev-Happy Engine
In motorsport, limitation can really be the mother of all invention. Initially, the Cosworth 2.3 liter engine was designed to take on the Group B rally cars, but quickly realizing their naturally aspirated engine couldn’t match the turbo cars' performance, they shifted their attention to DTM.
Although it was their second choice, it worked out incredibly well for them as they had the right tools for the job readily available. Eventually upgraded to 2.5 liters, this relatively large displacement 4-cylinder could rev all the way up to 7600 rpm.
5 Functional Bodykit
The bodykit on the Evo I was already pretty wild, making it stand out from the crowd and also making it abundantly clear that it was not a regular 190E, the Evo II took it one step further.
The drag coefficient was reduced to an extra slippery 0.29, incredible for what was still a four-door sedan. The rear wing was also adjustable, so the car could get set up properly for different tracks.
4 Self-Leveling Suspension
Most Mercedes-Benzes from this era actually had this feature, eliminating the usual sag that would occur when the car was fully loaded.
None of them had an onboard switch like the Evo, able to adjust the ride height on the fly if necessary. And it would be necessary too, thanks to the low ride height, and catching a speed bump with this ultra-rare bodykit will be a tragedy.
3 Excellent Handling
Although, for some reason, they stuck with the outdated recirculating ball steering on these cars, the suspension and chassis more than made up for that.
Even by today’s standards, these cars are sharp and engaging to drive on track or in the twisties, it is not the average comfortable exec. It breaks away from what you would normally expect from any Mercedes, especially with the suspension in its lowest setting.
2 Racing Pedigree
Ultimately they achieved exactly what they set out to do, dominating the DTM championship and ultimately winning that year rather easily.
It was also something never to be repeated, as this was the last Mercedes-built car to be run in any motorsport event. Since then they have handed the reins over to the AMG performance division, and it is fair to say this has served them well.
1 Painfully Rare
With both production runs capped at 502, totaling 1004 Evo cars, finding them today is pretty hard. They also command a premium as they have become highly collectible.
If you want a fast Merc there are certainly better, faster options out there including a whole host of new or almost new AMG models, or even a 190E with a newer more powerful engine fitted. But nothing looks quite as good as the real deal.