This 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II is number 247 of 502 examples built and was originated at the Duisburg branch in Germany. It was imported to the US in 2022 after being tracked down by the Patina Collective who had heard rumors of this barn find Evo being stashed away in London. It now shows just 45k kilometers (~28k miles) and is accompanied by MOT and annual government inspections documenting the mileage. This very special W201 is powered by a 2.5-liter Cosworth inline-four paired with a dogleg 5-speed manual transmission. Finished in Blue Black Metallic (199) over Anthracite Leather (271) interior, equipment includes a limited-slip differential, self-leveling suspension, 17″ Evo II alloy wheels, a full Evo II body kit, and power-adjustable front seats. The car is reported to be in running and driving condition, having been used by the previous owner only on his birthday and religious holidays. This W201 Evolution II is now offered by the selling collector in Florida with partial service records, two keys, and a clean Florida title.
Mercedes-Benz offered just 502 examples of the Evolution II to the public in order to comply with homoligation rules in the DTM racing series. Each car features revised front and rear valances, a rear wing, pronounced fender flares, molded side cladding, and extended side skirts. This example is finished from the factory in Black Pearl Metallic (199) and remains in original, unrestored condition. Since being recovered from its hiding place in London in 2022, the car has been cleaned but still shows signs of wear including scrapes and cracks on the front bumper, along with a previous repair on the driver side skirt. Miscellaneous paint chips are seen throughout with clear coat failure on the roof of the car.
The 17″ Evo II-specific alloy wheels are mounted with Bridgestone Potenza S-03 tires measuring 245/40 at all four corners. The Evolution II features an adjustable suspension equipped from the factory which is reported to be in working condition. The seller notes the front struts show signs of leaking. Detailed photos of the brakes and suspension components with the wheels removed are provided in the gallery.
The bolstered Recaro sport seats are upholstered in Anthracite leather (271) and feature power-adjustability and heating up front. Additional amenities include climate control, a built-in track timer, an Alpine head unit with bluetooth, an electrically adjustable passenger side mirror, and rear bucket seats with headrests. The gear shifter shows the dog leg shift pattern and lists this car as number 247/500. The seller notes the door panels show wear and the rear windows are inoperable.
The aftermarket racing steering wheel frames a 260-km/h speedometer and a tachometer with a 9,000-rpm tachometer as well as gauges for coolant temperature, oil pressure, fuel level, and instant fuel economy. Auxiliary gauges located in the center stack display oil temperature and voltage. The six-digit odometer shows just under 45k kilometers (~28k miles).
The 2.5-liter M102 inline-four was developed by Cosworth and features a shorter stroke and larger bore than the standard 2.5-16 model. Factory-rated output was 232 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque. The car had been tucked away and used sparingly over the last couple of decades for the prior owners birthday or religious events. The car is reported to run and drive in its current condition. The seller notes the car idles low until warmed up. An aftermarket Power Flow exhaust is installed with dual tip exiting the rear.
Power is delivered to the rear wheels through a Getrag 5-speed manual gearbox with a dog leg shift pattern and a limited-slip differential. Additional underbody photos are viewable in the gallery.
Open Transit:
Enclosed Transit:
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23 Comments
$180k ?????? Geez!
@Smcase22, congrats on winning the auction for this holy grail of the W201 universe. I do agree with @A124 that a little tlc will greatly increase the value of this magnificent car. I love your MB collection that it'll now be part of. I think you're the right person to take on this "project". The MB Classic Center will be your friend. I've been lucky enough to see an EVO II in person and I can tell you that they are a sight to behold. I predict love at first sight for you with this magnificent car. I wish you many happy miles.
Dear god, what a cool car. Driver spec Evo II you can put miles on. Can't wait to see this one @Smcase22 please bring it by.
I'm out - enjoy @smcase22
$180,123 bid placed by @Smcase22
$175,623 bid placed by @startecmerc
$175,123 bid placed by @Smcase22
$174,623 bid placed by @startecmerc
$174,123 bid placed by @Smcase22
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$173,123 bid placed by @Smcase22
$172,623 bid placed by @startecmerc
$172,123 bid placed by @Smcase22
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$171,123 bid placed by @Smcase22
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$170,123 bid placed by @Smcase22
$166,623 bid placed by @startecmerc
$166,123 bid placed by @Smcase22
$161,734 bid placed by @startecmerc
@PatinaCollective WOAH! This is the closest some will be to Mercedes royalty for the money.
We have just lowered the reserve!, this car will sell today and we will be passing the torch to a next caregiver. Good luck bidding!!
@Smcase22 Haha that's fair. For what it's worth this should only trend up as time goes on! Hope you can add this to your collection! PS I peeped the 6.0 you got and man that's going to be a killer combo
@124guy little bit. Lol. I guess that is a relative number. This car needs lots of love.
$161,234 bid placed by @Smcase22
$155,000 bid placed by @Greymatter
This one has me dreaming. A little bit of love and you could make this a $300k car easy
$151,234 bid placed by @Smcase22
$138,000 bid placed by @Greymatter
@startecmerc Pictures show
Is it fitted with an aftermarket exhaust?
$134,567 bid placed by @Smcase22
$123,956 bid placed by @AKM_
@1976w123 as we move everything to our new 50k sq ft museum building in Fort Lauderdale, and are assembling the largest exhibit of Youngtimer Mercedes Benz in the world, we are faced with the reality that not all of the 290 cars we own fit in the new building. We have been sharing a limited selection of cars of our collection with the community in the market through MB Market, Plushauto.com and others for some time now. People have been asking for this for a while, and now this is a limited chance to own a great car and part of Patina’s effort to save these extraordinary cars from all over the planet for the future. This is one of our four Evos, and most likely, the most interesting one for a collector looking into a car with a fascinating story and is interested in doing a light restoration, or keeping it in its current condition.
to the seller..... you never sell any of your cars , why this one patina collective
@smcase22 is here to play!
As some of the MOT (Annual inspections have blue lines through on the paperwork) as the Advert correctly states its an Ex UK Car, the GOV.UK site keeps a history of all annual inspections (required in the UK by law) https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/results?registration=b16BTG&checkRecalls=true Just cut and paste and click on history.
$123,456 bid placed by @Smcase22
$80,000 bid placed by @QuadCammer
$75,000 bid placed by @Hanz
$60,000 bid placed by @sumofone
$50,000 bid placed by @QuadCammer
$45,000 bid placed by @Fillitup
Absolute beauty!
$40,500 bid placed by @ariok47
Very cool! Looks like a great starting point for a mild restoration to get it back up driving (and looking) 100%.
@PatinaCollective Are you claiming that the car was NEVER driven between 2007 and 2011? The records show the EXACT same mileage reading at all of the MOT inspections in the upooaded documentation.
@tck_hmmr car spent extended periods of time in storage, many times over years, yet MOT and registrations were kept active
The paperwork provided indicates the odometer has been/was non-op for a period of time, correct? The receipts show the same mileage reading (42,690km) at each service/inspection from 2007-~2011.
$40,000 bid placed by @Fillitup
@Carwiz Thanks! the speedo is original as stated by the paperwork
Nice car! Was the speedo replaced since the needle button fell off and no sign of it present on the bottom
Thanks for checking out our auction! While we have more 300 rare modified Mercedes in our Museum, we have decided to release a few of our non-modified cars onto the market to provide the best experience to our guests. That being said we are proud to have this number 247/502 EVO II as our first official listing on MB Market. Now you can own a piece of DTM History that comes with an amazing story behind it. Hope to see you all soon at the museum in Florida, and Happy Bidding!