Mercedes-Benz 190 E Restomod We’ve Been Waiting For Is Almost Here

Our HWA EVO prototypes were driven on the test track of our technology partner Bosch Engineering in Boxberg to extensively test the electronic components. HWA has taken an extraordinary step and, in collaboration with Bosch Engineering, has developed its own ESP system that integrates ABS activation and a tailor-made ECU that is optimally suited to the HWA EVO.
 

Development of HWA’s EVO prototype, a restomod tribute to the legendary Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II, has taken “an extraordinary step” with track testing currently focused on the car’s traction control system. As confirmed via a post on social media, HWA is conducting tests on an in-house electronic stability system that also incorporates a bespoke ECU and anti-lock brakes engineered specifically for the EVO prototype.
 
Synonymous with the development and production of Mercedes-AMG GT and SLS AMG race cars, HWA conducted the testing at Bosch Engineering’s facility in Boxberg, Germany. Established by AMG co-founder Hans Werner Aufrecht, HWA provided no other information but is apparently on course to deliver its first customer vehicles by the end of the year. Only 100 will be available, and they won’t be cheap – the price is €714,000 (just under $824,300 in US currency), not including one already sold at auction.
 

EVO: A Fiberglass Tribute To A Mercedes Legend
Teased in late 2023 and first revealed ahead of last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Mercedes-approved EVO prototype pays homage to Mercedes’ original competitor to the E30 BMW M3. The 2.5-16 Evo II proved its performance credentials with a championship win in Germany’s DTM touring car series the first time out of the blocks in 1992. Ultimately, Mercedes made just 502 road-going homologation models.
 
Like its muse, the HWA EVO tribute is built from the ground up atop a donor chassis from a W201-series 190E. The tributary bodywork – inspiration of which was apparently drawn from Mercedes’ CLK DTM and AMG GT Black cars – is built from fiberglass composite to retain a comparatively welterweight 3,000 pounds. Even the original specification glass has been incorporated. Notable deviations, though, include aggressively flared DTM-esque wheel arches. They contain large six-spoke staggered wheels measuring 19 inches at the front, 20 inches at the back. And speaking of the back, there’s also a much larger rear bumper.
 

That bumper helps generate additional downforce, but HWA didn’t design the EVO to rip around tracks at a Nürburgring lap-record pace. Instead, GT4 versions of the Porsche 718 Cayman were used as performance benchmarks. As a result, the EVO prototype wields beefy 15-inch six-piston brakes in front, and 14.1-inch brakes at the rear. Another neat touch is a front-axle lift that raises the bumper and splitter by just over an inch to optimize airflow. This reworked front end also allows HWA to mount the engine further back and further down in the chassis for better weight distribution.
 
The Original Cossie Four-Pot Is Gone, But It’s Still Pure Combustion
Regarding the engine – and following robust feedback from its potential customers – HWA replaced the original EVO II’s 2.5-liter Cosworth four-cylinder not with a hybrid or electric powertrain (as originally ‘feared’) but a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 sourced straight from Mercedes. In standard tune, the engine sends 443 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox, pushing the EVO to a claimed top speed of 168 MPH. In full-fat (and optional) Affalterbach performance trim, power for the EVO prototype climbs to 493 hp and the top speed extends beyond 185 MPH.