Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 Owned By Ayrton Senna Goes Up For Auction

Auction house Sotheby’s will put up for sale on November 1st in London a Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 that once belonged to Ayrton Senna. Thanks to its famous owner, Sotheby’s hopes to fetch €250,000 for this model, a sum similar to that of a Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II.
 

The Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 is by no means as rare or as special as its successor, the Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II. Between 1984 and 1988, 19,487 units were produced, compared to only 500 units of the Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II.
 
The Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 featured a Cosworth-modified engine. The standard M102 two-valve-per-cylinder 2.3-liter engine developed 136 PS. To compete in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), Mercedes needed a more powerful engine and a production run of at least 5,000 units. That’s why Mercedes turned to Cosworth, which built a cylinder head with four valves per cylinder and raised the rev limit to 7,000 rpm. The oversquare engine, with a large 95.5 mm bore and a short 80.25 mm stroke, allowed higher revs, ultimately producing 185 PS and a top speed of 230 km/h.
 
The model was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1983, and three prototypes set an endurance record in August 1983 at the Nardò circuit in Italy. With an average speed of 247.94 km/h (154.06 mph), they covered over 50,000 km and set 12 international endurance records.
 

Although it never had the exclusivity of the Evo II, sometimes a model reaches a high value because it had a famous owner. That is the case with this Mercedes 190E 2.3-16, which former F1 world champion Ayrton Senna ordered for personal use after winning the legendary “Race of Champions” in 1984 at the Nürburgring in a similar car.
 
The example once owned by Ayrton Senna comes with a full history and the great champion’s signature, and will be sold at Sotheby’s auction on November 1, 2025, in London. The estimated sale price is between €255,000 and €290,000.
 
In May 1984, the renovated Nürburgring circuit was inaugurated. On that occasion, a competition called the “Race of Champions” was held, with 20 drivers participating, including 9 of the 14 living F1 world champions at the time. Among them were Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna — almost unknown back then, with only four F1 races to his name. Former F1 world champion Juan Manuel Fangio presented the trophy.
 
All drivers raced in Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 cars with a few modifications: revised exhaust systems, stiffer suspension, roll cages, six-point harnesses, central cut-off switches, and wider Pirelli racing tires. Ayrton Senna drove a silver car with start number 11. In qualifying, he set the third-fastest time, behind Alain Prost and Carlos Reutemann. In the final race, held in the rain over 12 laps, Senna defeated Lauda and proved his potential as a future champion among some of the most famous drivers of the era.
 

Senna was very impressed with the car and ordered one in 1985. According to factory invoices, Senna received a discount and personally collected the car from the Sindelfingen plant in October 1985, after which he brought it to his then-residence in Esher, Surrey. The Brazilian racing driver drove the car for 40,000 km over two years, until 1987, when he sold it to Robin Clark, an acquaintance of his manager Julian Jakobi. Senna sold the car because he was planning to move to McLaren and relocate to Monte Carlo.
 
In 1996, the car came into the possession of the current owner, who took it with him to Australia in 2004. There, the air conditioning system was deactivated for emissions reasons, but it can be reactivated.
 
The car is sold with full documentation, including service history and maintenance invoices, and the odometer shows 248,267 km (154,302 miles). Senna’s car has numerous options such as a Becker Mexico radio, fire extinguisher, onboard tool kit, an unused first-aid kit, and a factory-installed alarm system with immobilizer. The private British license plate “B15ENA” is also available upon request.