This is the tale of the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3 16 and 2.5 16 sport sedans. 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's iconic M3. Even though nine times out of ten, people would choose the Bimmer over the Merc, the 190E Cosworth's underdog status makes it an equally appealing car. As Richard Hammond put it: "it was Cinderella, but the coach never came".
But let's take it from the start. In the late '70s, the V8-powered 450SLC rally car started to show the signs of aging, so the Stuttgart automaker decided to replace it with a compact model. Jointly developed with Cosworth, the 190E never made to rallying though, as Audi took everyone by surprise with the Quattro, featuring four-wheel drive and a turbocharged engine. Mercedes' management didn't want to fight an battle it couldn't win so instead, they competed in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM).
