Clean Cosworth: 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16

Some classic cars have names that roll easily and almost seductively off the tongue, while others have been blessed with names that roll off the tongue like, well…a brick. The Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 Cosworth undoubtedly fits into the latter category, but it more than compensates for its complicated handle with giant-killing performance. This performance has made it a firm favorite as a track-day car, and a good many of them have been thrashed mercilessly by owners who see themselves as the next Lewis Hamilton. This 190 E has not only managed to avoid that fate, but it is also one of the most desirable examples, as it is fitted with a manual transmission with the dog-leg first gear. It appears to have been treated with respect and has also been well maintained. The time has come for a new owner to experience the joy of owning one of these German classics, so the Cosworth, which is located in Houston, Texas, has been listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set the listing to open at $12,000 in what appears to be a No Reserve auction, but there have been no bids at this stage. There is also a BIN option, and this has been set at $20,000. A big thank you has to go out to Barn Find readers EMerc Lover and Brian for the tip.

Our own Jeff Lavery is a true expert on the 2.3-16 Cosworth, as he has one as a project car in his workshop. When you delve as deeply into a classic as Jeff has, you can’t help but develop some significant knowledge. It is pretty easy to understand the attraction of these little cars because Mercedes took the already elegantly styled 190 E and gave it some subtle muscle. The fender flares, deep skirts, and spoilers weren’t just there for good looks, because they also provided a substantial improvement to the vehicle’s aerodynamics. As far as the color choice was concerned, you weren’t exactly spoiled for choice if you were wandering into your local Mercedes showroom in 1986, because 2.3-16 customers could choose between Smoke Silver or Pearl Black. The latter color was the rarer choice and is what this car wears. The owner states that the paint is perfect, and I have to say that looking through the supplied photos, it is hard to argue with him on that point. I do suspect that the car has had at least a partial repaint at some point because I do find it hard to believe that a car like this could accumulate 100,000 miles with zero stone-chips or marks on the front bumper. Rust could potentially be an issue underneath the 190 E, and could also develop under some of the side skirts. However, the owner doesn’t mention any issues in that respect, and there is nothing obviously visible. It would appear that the Mercedes has spent the vast majority of its life in the drier climes of California and Texas, so that has undoubtedly aided its cause. The alloy wheels are in exceptional condition, with no signs of any physical damage, or the sorts of staining and pitting that can be caused by accumulated brake dust. With the glass also appearing to be flawless, it really is hard to find anything about the car’s appearance or external condition to be critical of.

Lifting the lid on the engine bay revealed just what makes this Mercedes so special. The 2.3-liter engine in the 190 E was already a pretty decent performer, but thanks to some substantial development work from Cosworth, it became a real barn-stormer. Or, in its home country, an autobahn-stormer (sorry!). Originally developed with a view to competing in the World Rally Championship, in its ultimate competition form, the Cosworth-developed engine could produce 320hp. However, just as the development of the engine hit its stride, Audi introduced the Quattro. Its turbocharged engine and all-wheel-drive system effectively rendered any rear-wheel-drive car with a normally-aspirated engine obsolete at a single stroke. M-B then turned its attention to International Group A Touring Car competition, and it was in this arena that it scored some pretty decent levels of success. Cosworth’s contribution to this effort was to develop a twin-cam cylinder head for the original Mercedes engine, complete with 4-valves per cylinder. The result of this hard labor was a lift in engine power from 121hp to a very respectable 167hp. When coupled with the 5-speed manual transmission, that lopped a substantial 1.6 seconds off the standard 190’s ¼ mile ET and boosted top speed from 118mph to an official 134mph. The word “official” is pretty interesting, because there were plenty of motoring journalists who wound new examples out on the German autobahns back in 1986, and many of these saw top speeds nudging closer to 145mph. This particular car seems to be in sound mechanical health and does feature the very desirable 5-speed manual transmission with the dog-leg first gear. The owner doesn’t make any outrageous claims of low mileage with this one and is quite candid about the fact that it has accumulated 144,000 miles. That’s a lot, but it would appear that a great many of those miles have been clocked up on the open road, which would certainly give the car a far easier time than if it had been subjected to stop/start city motoring. It has recently undergone a pretty major service, including the fitting of new brake pads and rotors on all four corners, along with the replacement of the shifter bushes, the Air Mass Meter and the O2 sensor. The owner states that the car runs and drives perfectly, and as an added bonus, it comes with a full set of service records which date right back to when the car was new.

The interior of the Mercedes presents quite nicely, with no obvious major problems. The heavily bolstered seats are upholstered in leather, and the driver’s seat is showing some sagging and edge wear. The wear should be able to be addressed by a competent upholsterer who has experience working with leather. That same person might also be able to do something about the sagging at the same time. The rest of the trim and plastic looks really nice, while the carpet appears to be in good condition. The factory stereo has been replaced with a CD player with Bluetooth, but the original unit is included in the sale. The center console has some very minor damage, but the owner has sourced a replacement to address this, and this new piece is sitting in the trunk just waiting to be fitted. Everything inside the vehicle works exactly as it should, and the inclusion of air conditioning, power windows, power seats, a sunroof, and a driver’s airbag will all make life not only more comfortable, but safer if things happen to go horribly wrong.

When we look at this Mercedes, it has some pretty decent positive attributes, but there are going to be some people that will be put off by the mileage. However, if this car has been properly maintained, then it should remain essentially quite bulletproof. It has a comprehensive service history with a full set of records, its presentation is very impressive, and probably most importantly, it sports a manual transmission. I’m not sure whether the owner will achieve his BIN price, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it went close. All it will need is two people who really want this car for this to happen. I wonder if Jeff might be one of them.