This 1989 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16v Cosworth was originally ordered as a Canary Islands Example and imported to the United States from Germany in 2015. Finished in Dark Metallic Blue over an Anthracite Leather (271) interior, power comes from a 2.5L 16 valve I4 developed by Cosworth mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Equipment includes factory Recaro bucket seats in the front and rear, a sunroof, cruise control, and a dash mounted timer. Additionally, this example wears 16” Evo I wheels. The seller notes they’ve self-maintained this 190E while in their care with recent services including an oil service, transmission service, differential service, coolant flush, new tires, and a number of trim pieces replaced. The odometer currently displays just over 183k kilometers (113k miles) and this W201 is offered by the seller with two keys, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Minnesota title.
This 190E 2.5-16v is finished in Dark Blue Metallic with matching lower cladding and bumper inserts. The car was repainted in 2005 from the original Smoke Silver Metallic. The model-specific body kit is specific to the Cosworth specs and includes a deeper aerodynamic chin spoiler, side skirts, rear air dam, fender flares, and trunk spoiler. Other exterior features include a sliding sunroof with tilt function, an electrically adjustable side mirror, and fog lights. The seller notes all exterior features are operable. Detailed photos of the exterior can be seen in the gallery.
This example wears 16” Evo I wheels and new Yokohama Advan tires measuring 205/50 and showing 2023 date codes.
The seats are upholstered in Anthracite leather (271) with matching door panels and carpeting. Notable features include power-adjustable Recaro front sport seats, individual rear Recaro bucket seats, cruise control, power windows, power locks, and an upgraded head unit. Additional modifications include a new shift knob, new parcel shelf, and upgraded Pioneer speakers. The door panels show shrunken leather around the edges and the A/C and lap timer are noted to be inoperable.
The four-spoke steering wheel frames a 260kmh speedometer, a tachometer with a 7k-rpm redline, and gauges for oil pressure, coolant temperature, fuel economy, and fuel level. Readouts for voltage and oil temperature are mounted in the center stack along with a lap timer. The six-digit odometer shows 183k kilometers (113k miles).
The 2.5-liter M102 4-cylinder was developed in collaboration with Cosworth and power was rated at 194 horsepower and 173 lb-ft of torque when new. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a dogleg 5-speed manual transmission. The seller notes they’ve self-maintained this 190E while in their care with recent services including an oil service, transmission service, differential service, and a coolant flush.
This W201 is offered by the seller with two keys, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Minnesota title.
The seller has included the following videos:
Open Transit:
Enclosed Transit:
The winning bidder will receive an email with the quote and option to proceed with shipping.
Get the best of The MB Market directly in your inbox every day. Subscribe for a curated list of our top market listings and articles!
53 Comments
$19,500 bid placed by @Adees
$18,750 bid placed by @Mbeamdream
$18,500 bid placed by @RMurph
$18,250 bid placed by @Butler
$18,000 bid placed by @AE1728
$17,500 bid placed by @ekstarr
$17,250 bid placed by @Butler
$17,000 bid placed by @Zannzibar
$16,750 bid placed by @ekstarr
$16,500 bid placed by @Zannzibar
$16,250 bid placed by @ekstarr
$16,000 bid placed by @Zannzibar
$15,250 bid placed by @Vancouver
$15,000 bid placed by @AE1728
$14,750 bid placed by @Zannzibar
$14,500 bid placed by @ekstarr
$14,250 bid placed by @Zannzibar
$13,250 bid placed by @ekstarr
@TheLordSouf yes, I am the second owner and have owned it since 2021.
Are you the second owner of the car since imported to the US? for how long you've owned this vehicle?
$13,000 bid placed by @Zannzibar
@Adees no, there is not.
Any kinda smoke on acceleration on de celebration??
@MercsandBimmers correct, it was discussed earlier in the comments.
FYI, MN has almost 7% sales tax on used car transactions but it is waived for collector cars.
Noticed the SLS pump and accumulators are there, but the rear shocks are std Bilsteins vs the hydropneumatic MB shocks required for SLS. Assume SLS is inoperative. Should have aftermarket springs if swapped to std shocks.
$12,750 bid placed by @AE1728
@MercsandBimmers the 2.3 is special in its own right. the 2.5 production car was never raced. yes EVO2's were 2.5 but it was a different motor.
$12,500 bid placed by @ekstarr
My '87 2.3-16 has COSWRTH Minnesota collector plates (which is where I live). This would be a nice upgrade.
$12,250 bid placed by @Zannzibar
$12,000 bid placed by @MercsandBimmers
@jbd5859 edit isn't working. If you want to use PayPal or some other service to pay for a portion with credit card, that's fine with me so long as you cover any and all fees.
@jbd5859 I'll accept cash, cashiers check or wire. And if you want to pay with a credit card for a portion through PayPal or some other service, I'm fine with that so long as you cover any and all fees.
@AE1728 I'd agree with @ekstarr that I'd just drive it as is. I tried to take comprehensive pictures of the defects which likely makes them stand out more. When viewing the car in person, it looks great all around and you only notice the defects if you're looking for them up close. The rear bumper is clean and wouldn't need a respray. The front bumper and wing you could either respray, or get touched up if you have a good person that sprays catalyzed paint and clear, knows how to wet sand and polish, etc.
@Boostin @AE1728 I viewed the car in person. the paint thickness and shine is great. there are just little cracks or flaking here and there. if I got the car id just enjoy it for a while as is. a respray is only needed if you want it perfect.
$11,750 bid placed by @css008
Hello, what type of payment does the seller accepts (CC, check, Wire, etc.)?
$11,500 bid placed by @Zannzibar
Will you say front and rear bumper will need to be respray ? along with the wing. Just a little curious on your take.
@Mbeamdream no rust as can be seen in the underbody pictures. The Canary Islands is dry and it's largely been stored in CA since it came to the US. Yes, I will get a photo underneath the battery.
I know the hours are running down but any rust? Can I get a shot of near/under the battery tray?
$10,100 bid placed by @ekstarr
$9,850 bid placed by @Zannzibar
$9,250 bid placed by @ekstarr
$9,000 bid placed by @AE1728
$8,750 bid placed by @ekstarr
@Zannzibar they did but it is worth noting that while the same displacement, the EVO cars had a shorter stoke and larger bore to enable the engine to spin and reach higher RPM more quickly.
@mzzgr no, the window trim mouldings are made of rubber so are not able to rust. Pictures 58-61 show the mouldings up close. You may be referring to picture 58 which shows the separation of the leather / vinyl from the door panel at the top outer edge which was referenced in the listing. The rubber door seals around the doors are all intact, in good shape and functioning properly. The only damage to one of the door seals can be seen in picture 86. And for further clarity, all of the window seal rubber is in similar condition.
Go Niners!
$8,500 bid placed by @Zannzibar
$7,900 bid placed by @Ranger902
$7,650 bid placed by @Zannzibar
Not until this auction did I realize they had a 2.5, short of the evo cars.
Are all the window moulding trims rusty? Are all the rubbers shot around the doors too?
$7,250 bid placed by @Lee1
$7,000 bid placed by @Zannzibar
$6,500 bid placed by @Butler
$6,250 bid placed by @escar0le
$6,000 bid placed by @ekstarr
$5,000 bid placed by @Butterbread
@Adees I was just looking back at my comments. I should have clarified, the car was not federalized when imported, however, it does have a catalytic converter so may be able to pass California emissions testing, though I have not tested.
@ekstarr great to meet you and thank you very much for the kind words. Beautiful S124 you have!
for anyone interested. I saw the car today - it looks exactly as the photos depict if not better. very solid drive. honest seller. im definitely interested.
$4,500 bid placed by @ekstarr
$4,250 bid placed by @Ranger902
@germancarfan as far as I know, it spent it's life in the Canary Islands but I don't have documentation to support that. However, it was delivered there new, was repainted there in 2005 and had inspections between 2009-2015. No, as stated in the listing, the AC does not currently work. All components are present but I have not recharged it with r12 or converted to r134a.
Thanks for response seller. So the car spent its whole life in canary island from new? Does air con blow cold?
@Swingandamiss it is located in Los Angeles, CA, 90066. It's registered in MN as it's much more cost effective than CA. It has a catalytic converter but I have not done any emissions testing.
Edit function not working, was it registered in Minn because of California emissions? Thanks.
MInnesota plates and California listed in details, for shipping estimates, where is this Mercedes located? Done for California emissions purposes? Thanks.
@Motorsports yes, this is an auction site and across the top of your browser window you can see the current bid and when the auction ends.
@germancarfan I understand your perspective on recent imports but with that approach, you'll miss out on many great models that were never offered in the US originally but are finally making their way stateside under the 25 year exemption. In any case, yes, the repaint was completed in April 2005 as can be seen by the sticker under the trunk lid in photo 182. The motor pulls very strong and the transmission shifts through the gears as it should with no grinding. There is no smoke of any color - blue, black, white from the tailpipe. I have not done a compression test but can perform one over the weekend.
@germancarfan Photos of the owners manual in Spanish as well as the Canary Island's inspection card have been posted to the gallery. To provide some color on this car's history, it remained in the Canary Island's through 2015 before being imported to the US via Germany in September of 2015. It has covered ~500 km / ~310 miles since being in the States.
Is this auction on this car live
$4,000 bid placed by @ekstarr
hi seller, I tend to avoid recent imports since it's typically difficult to verify its service history and mileage. Your car appears quite worthwhile to pursue. I assume the repaint was done before your ownership? Can you comment on the health of the engine, does it pull strong? Any blue smoke from tailpipe at idle? Any chance a compresssion test was done? Any grinds going into any gear in transmission?
$3,750 bid placed by @Dhaliwal
@ekstarr yes, it is. Please contact me via the message seller function and we can coordinate.
$3,500 bid placed by @Ranger902
is the car available for viewing locally?
$3,250 bid placed by @ekstarr
$3,000 bid placed by @AE1728
Videos showing a cold start, warm start, and driving functions have been posted.
@AE1728 no problem. And as I look back at the listing, it appears the cold and warm start videos along with a mediocre driving video didn't get posted. I have just messaged @thembmarket regarding those and will take a video of the engine bay with the car running later today.
@BabyBenzFan Thanks for the comments. I'd agree with just about everything you had to said. This car isn't perfect but is a nice example with a few details the next owner could address to elevate it to the next level. I really wavered on selling given it's rarity and that it's actually quite fun. Frankly, much better than I had expected. But I need to downsize a bit and this one didn't make the cut.
Any way we can get a video of the engine bay with it running ??
Given the rarity of the 2.5-16 and also the fact that it was never sold new in the U.S., I would not use this car as a daily driver but rather as a weekend fun car. @ekstarr, the blue isn't this car's original color. I wish the W201 16vs and EVOs had been available in this color. This great color got saved for the more mortal W201s. The exterior color of my more mortal W201 is this dark blue. I know that I'm biased but I happen to think it's a great color. The car in this auction looks to be in pretty decent shape. These don't show up for sale very often so I'll be curious to see what it sells for. If it was my car, I wouldn't be selling it because it is so rare. I wish the seller GLWTA.
$2,750 bid placed by @ekstarr
$2,500 bid placed by @Ramrattan
@seemslegit I’ll be honest, I need to familiarize myself further with the system but in looking at the pictures, the pump (passenger side front of the engine), lines and the accumulators are all still present. I’m not near the car today but can do some research, look at the car and get back to you tomorrow.
@Boostin Thanks for the quick response. Do you know if the other parts to the self leveling system are still there?
Here is the VIN decoded: https://www.lastvin.com/vin/a8NMV2ojYM9EQln9y
@seemslegit no, it is currently equipped with Bilstein 24-014052 shocks in the rear.
@CarCrazy24 AC is not working as stated in the overview. I have not attempted to charge or diagnose. Heater is a good question. I have not used previously. Windows locks, sunroof and passenger exterior mirror are operable. I don’t recall any power adjustments on the seats but will check. There is also no exterior power antenna on the rear driver’s quarter - it may be in the windshield? I’ll have to check.
Is the rear self leveling suspension still intact?
AC and heater both working? All power items working? (Windows, locks, seats, sunroof, antenna, etc)
$2,250 bid placed by @ekstarr
$2,000 bid placed by @Butterbread
@ekstarr thanks! It wears it very well.
@Adees negative on being federalized. As to California, it has a catalytic converter but I have not had it tested.
nice Cosworth! you just don't see these in that color
$1,000 bid placed by @ekstarr
$750 bid placed by @AHaji9
$500 bid placed by @Gotleib1
Is it federalized and can it be registered in California ?
$250 bid placed by @Musclecar1000