Mercedes-Benz 190 E Evo Legendary Gets Crashed On Purpose

Restomod Mercedes 190E Evo with $800,000 price tag had to be crashed for the benefit of its racing and road-going career.
 

There are no typos in that headline. Yes, this is an $800,000 car and, yes, it was crashed on purpose. The Mercedes 190E Evo is nothing short of iconic in the worlds of both road-going cars and DTM racing dominance. It has unforgettable styling, a legendary powerplant, and, without doubt, goes down as one of the coolest Mercedes-Benz vehicles ever to leave the factory. So, it’s unsurprising that, in the world of companies manufacturing ultra-high-end restomods, the 190E would make the list.
 
Enter HWA and their 190E restomod known simply as the “Evo.” This isn’t the first time I’ve written about this company, and, to be frank, the last time I wrote about how the original 190E is cooler and that the HWA Evo is just another high-end collector’s toy that’ll never be used for its intended purpose. I’m happy to report that I was wrong. The reason HWA had to sacrifice this car, their seventh prototype according to a company Instagram post, is to adhere to guidelines not only for selling road-going versions of the car, but for homologation purposes. That’s right, the company that manufactures them races them.
 
An In-Depth Crash Analysis
HWA’s post reports that they went as far as investigating safety by studying child safety restraints, head and neck safety, and steering column displacement in the event of a head-on collision with a barrier at 30 miles per hour. It’s safe to assume that, by today’s standards, a classic 190E would fail with flying colors. However, the fully re-imagined aluminum and steel chassis of the HWA Evo seems to hold up quite well in the world of modern crash safety. So, if you happen to have $800,000 ready to drop on one of these things, that has to be a huge relief to read!
 
It’s a bit of a shame to see this thing bite the bullet. However, it’s safe to assume that it’s in the right hands to be rebuilt should they so choose. Considering the amount of design, engineering, and overall work that went into bringing this car to life in the first place, this kind of repair seems like a drop in the bucket. Ultimately, it’s good to know that occupants will be safe whether driving down the road with their families or competing in a 24-hour endurance race at the Nürburgring.
 
What is an HWA Evo?
If you’re not familiar, the HWA Evo is, as alluded to above, a high-performance restomod of the legendary Mercedes 190E. It uses a three-liter V6 powerplant in place of the iconic Cosworth-sourced four-cylinder and puts out a whopping 440 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque. In addition, HWA equips these cars with KW adjustable suspension, a six-speed manual transaxle, and Brembo brakes all around.
 
It’s truly designed to be a track weapon. With that in mind, we’re more than pleased to see that some will actually be found on tracks.