Mercedes-Benz 190 1986 (33) - e COSWORTH 2.3

This is the tale of the Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3 16v Cosworth. Developed in collaboration with Cosworth initially for the rally scene of the 1980s, the flagship version of the 190E series eventually went on to dominate track-racing and ended up on the roads as well, putting up a good fight against BMW&039;s iconic M3. Even though nine times out of ten, people would choose the Bimmer over the Merc, the 190E Cosworths underdog status makes it an equally appealing car. As Richard Hammond put it: "it was Cinderella, but the coach never came". Ayrton Senna? In May 1984 the Brazilian legend drove in a single-model support race staged to celebrate the opening of the new Nürburgring as a grand prix venue. Mercedes provided 20 identical cars for big-name racers including Stirling Moss, Niki Lauda, Carlos Reutemann, Keke Rosberg, James Hunt, Alain Prost and the then almost unknown Senna. What happened next is legend, but Senna took on this race with gravity and dedication of a judge passing sentence. Figuring that this was a superb chance to prove himself, he drove his 190E to victory and in a preview of things to come, had Prost off the track on the way Senna&039;s 2.3-16 racer now lives in the Mercedes museum. The 2.3-16 first appeared at the 1983 Frankfurt motor show, but difficulties manufacturing its highly tuned cylinder head delayed production by a year. That head was made by Britain&039;s Cosworth, and was the key to lifting the output of the standard two-valve 2.3 motor by some 72bhp to 185bhp and its rev limit to 7000rpm, a stratospheric crank speed for any Benz in those days. The only transmission up to the power torrent was Getrag&039;s five-speeder with dog-leg first gear - selecting ratios with this box was about as easy as wrestling a bone from a dog - while the 190&039;s sophisticated multi-link rear suspension was kitted with self-levelling and a limited slip diff. And while the body kit looked a little crass, it knocked a point of the 190&039;s Cd, which fell to 0.32 despite wider tyres, and usefully reduced lift too. But never mind that. What made the 2.3-16 was not its engine, which could sound a little rough, so much as its chassis, a mix of sublime balance and supple ride that made long distances a joy, whether you wanted to play drift or cruise. Owned by the previous owner since 2001, DOG LOG BOX, originally factory colour is metallic black, sprayed in almadine red in 1991 to a very high standard, Car has .