Jay Leno has been searching for this car since the day it came out, but it has always eluded him. The 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190 E Evo II was built as a “BMW killer” to compete in the DTM race series, and only 502 were ever made. This rare example comes from the Audrain Museum collection in Newport, Rhode Island, and has just 8,000 kilometers on the odometer. Jay sits down with Sean O’Donnell from the Audrain Museum to discuss the car’s unique features, including its 2.5-liter Cosworth-developed engine with a 16-valve head, which produces about 230 horsepower and a redline of 7,700 RPM. They also examine the famous aerodynamic body kit, which was designed by a professor at the University of Stuttgart to improve the car’s drag coefficient and increase downforce. The car also features hydraulic, adjustable suspension, and 17-inch alloy wheels—a first for Mercedes-Benz. Jay, who admits he was a “snob” when the car was new, now appreciates its unique blend of race-car-like handling and solid Mercedes-Benz build quality. He notes that it feels lighter and more nimble than a typical Mercedes, and he’s especially impressed by the car’s low mileage, which gives it the feeling of being “brand new.” This episode is a must-see for anyone who grew up with this car as a poster on their wall.
Jay Leno Finally Drives the Mercedes-Benz 190 E Evo II | Jay Leno’s Garage
There is one car Jay Leno has finally gotten behind the wheel of a car that eluded him for over three decades. It is not a supercar or some luxury cruiser, but a muscular, squared-off German sedan with a wing that could double as a picnic table. The 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II, known simply as the Evo II, was never sold in the United States.
This rare homologation special, built for Mercedes-Benz to go toe-to-toe with BMW in the brutal DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft) racing series, finally made its way to Jay Leno’s Garage. It was brought in by Sean O’Donnell, General Manager of the Audrain Automotive Museum, who, like the car, was born in 1990.
Jay finally sits down in the driver’s seat of the car he has only looked at but never driven before. This example has just 4,971 miles (8,000 kilometers) on the odometer and feels as fresh as the day it left the factory. “It handles and feels more like a BMW,” he says, giving it its first proper shake-down on American soil.
Finished in Blauschwarz (Black Blue), a factory color so dark it appears black on camera, the Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II has a low-key, sinister look. All cars were painted this shade except for the final two, which were finished in silver.
It also features a factory sunroof, an option that makes this one even rarer. This is not a dressed-up luxury car. It was built with one goal: to win. Mercedes-Benz built only 502 Evo IIs to satisfy the homologation requirements for DTM racing.
And while the Evo II was road legal, it was no boulevard cruiser. This car was engineered to go toe-to-toe with the reigning DTM champ of the era: the almighty BMW E30 M3.
Under the hood sits a Cosworth-tuned 2.5-liter inline-four, featuring 16 valves. It produces 232 horsepower (235 metric horsepower) and 181 pound-feet (245 Newton meters) of torque. With a redline of 7,700 rpm, it makes its power high in the rev range, just like a race engine should.
It can sprint from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in roughly 7.1 seconds, which is basically a grocery getter by today’s standards, and tops out at 155 mph (250 kph).
Jay Leno points out that the car feels lighter and more nimble than other Mercedes-Benz models of its era. In fact, he admits that he was a “snob” when the car was new, skeptical of its high price tag and four-cylinder engine. At the time, the car sold for $85,000, which was more than a Corvette. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $202,000 in 2025 dollars.
Today, that price would be a bargain. Clean examples like this now sell for over $500,000, with some reaching above $700,000 depending on mileage and condition.
What sets the Evo II apart, even more than the engine, is its wild aerodynamics. Every part of the aggressive body kit was designed by a professor at the University of Stuttgart and perfected in the wind tunnel.
The massive rear wing is manually adjustable. The result is a drag coefficient of just 0.29, impressive even by today’s standards, and significantly increased downforce to keep the car planted at speed.
The 190 E Evo II also featured one of the most advanced suspension systems of its time. The car’s hydraulic self-leveling suspension could be adjusted by the driver with the help of a switch, giving it a dual personality: one for the street, another for the track.
Paired with 17-inch alloy wheels – the largest ever used on a Mercedes sedan at the time – it had grip to match its looks. Jay appreciates the solid Mercedes-Benz build quality blended with race-car handling. Despite the stiff ride and razor-sharp feedback, it still has that vault-like construction Mercedes was known for in the 1980s and early ’90s.
Of course, the Evo II never made it to American dealerships. It didn’t meet U.S. safety or emissions regulations at the time, and Mercedes had no plans to federalize it. Still, it came well-equipped for its intended market: the Benz featured airbags and each car shipped with a safety kit in the trunk, complete with gloves, warning triangles, and other roadside essentials.
“It’s fun to use all the power all the time,” Jay says during the drive. That’s a rare feeling in today’s horsepower-heavy world, where performance cars often have more grunt than you can legally (or safely) use. But the Evo II hits a sweet spot: it has enough power to keep you engaged, without being overwhelming.
What’s more, it doesn’t rely on gimmicks or digital wizardry. No touchscreen, no driving modes, no artificial sound pumped into the cabin. Just a naturally aspirated engine, a five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive, and the kind of mechanical purity that’s become almost extinct.
The Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II went on to help Mercedes win the DTM championship in 1992. It was the peak of the brand’s motorsport engineering before AMG became a household name and luxury began to overtake purity in the performance car world.
The car didn’t just live up to the hype. It exceeded it. From its innovative engineering to its precise road manners, it is the kind of car that only gets better the more you drive it.
The Mercedes-Benz 190 E Evo II might have taken the long way to get into Jay Leno’s hands and garage (only temporary, though), but in the end, it arrived and made one hell of an entrance.
