By the 1980s, Mercedes-Benz had established a long history competing in rally events across the globe. Running across rough terrain over hundreds of miles proved to be the perfect test of the brand's robust build quality and numerous body styles found themselves in competition from the humble W123 to the elegant W113. When the W201 chassis hit the market in 1982, it featured a complex 5-link rear end design which allowed for supreme control of the wheels making the vehicle highly suitable for development as a competition machine. As such, Mercedes joined forces with famed engineering firm Cosworth to produce a punchy twin camshaft, 16-valve cylinder head based on the M102 inline 4 motor.

As development continued, Audi entered the Quattro into the Group B category, and their rivals in Stuttgart quickly realized that their hopes of being victorious in the series would not be realized. Attention was soon turned to enter the vehicle in touring car racing, and due to the homologation requirements, a road going version had to be offered to the public.

Hitting showrooms as the 190E 2.3-16, this Alpha-Nuemeric jumble provided a robust 183hp in European specification, a 7,000rpm readline, and a dogleg 5-Speed gearbox from Getrag. Up until this point in the company's history, the entry level Mercedes had a history of being a rather agrarian and functional sort of vehicle. Going forward however, the company has always made an effort to draw young enthusiasts into the fold with small performance sedans.

While success did not arrive immediately for the little Benz in DTM, the 190E became famous for a number of support races held in conjunction with Formula One where the stars of the series competed in equal equipment behind the wheel of these 16-valve cars.  Most importantly, the introduction of the Cosworth powered W201 spurred their rival BMW to develop the M3, forever changing the automotive landscape.  

The 190E 2.3-16 stands today as an important car not just for Mercedes-Benz, but for the history of sports sedans.

AUTHOR: CO.

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