For Sale: A Pair of Group A Mercedes 190E 2.3s
Mercedes’ original plan when designing the 190E was to take it rallying. Audi, however, also had plans for rallying, and when their turbocharged all-wheel-drive Quattro landed on the scene plans were changed and the 190E 2.3 was homologated for entrance into the German Touring Car Championship. And that worked out just gloriously.
These 190E 2.3s have racing history as official Mercedes and AMG team cars in DTM, with Dr. Helmut Marko at the helm and Franz Klammer, Peter Oberndorfer and Volker Weidler driving. Between them they scored six podiums in ’86, including two wins.
The cars left Germany in ’86 when Bob Jane convinced Marko to bring his 190Es down to Australia for the Bathurst 1000. They entered the great race with Klammer and Obendorfer paired with Denny Hulme and Andy Meidecke and scored a class win with the Hulme/Klammer car.
Another class win at Bathurst in 1990 at the hands of Phil Ward and John Goss would be the cars’ last big success. Following that they went to America where they were briefly campaigned, albiet to little success.
Since then they’ve lived a quiet life at Mercedes Benz Autohaus Pompano, and an even quieter life in their current owner’s barn, where they’ve been looked after and started, but not let out to stretch their legs.
Both cars run and come with a considerable collection of spares. They’re available for sale at Ecurie Investments, who are offering a special price if they’re bought as a pair.
And I hope they are! It would be a sad day to these two mad machines separated after more than 25 years campaigning together, taking on the riguors of DTM and The Mountain and coming out on top.
Images via Ecurie Investments (via www.autopics.com.au)
