The poet and father of Greek tragedy Aeschylus once wrote: "It is an ill
thing to be the first to bring news of ill." Is it a leap of logic to
expect that being the first to bring good news is therefore a good thing? What if that
news is the birth of German factory authorized sport sedans,
specifically the first Mercedes-Benz 190 2.3-16V Cosworth to arrive in North America? Find this 1986 Mercedes-Benz W201 190E 2.3-16V
The W201 Mercedes-Benz "190" sedan was built from 1982 to 1993 and is the predecessor to today's C-class sedan. It was an elegant but simple sedan powered by a few 4 & 6 cylinder gas and diesel engines. It wasn't a car that any enthusiast would consider, at least until the 2.3-16V Cosworth edition was released as a direct competitor to BMW's apex-raping first generation E30 M3. This particular car was the actual press car used by Car & Driver in the March 1986 edition and is the first non grey market 2.3-16V import to the USA.
The heart of the 2.3-16V Cosworth transformation from Taxicab to Ringtaxi is a 2.3 liter DOHC inline 4 with cylinder head designed by Cosworth. The resulting engine puts out 167 horsepower and 162 ft-lbs of torque and is mated to the 5 speed transmission. The 2.3-16V today brings with it more of an experience, than actual performance, with its strange dog-leg gearbox (1st gear is down and to the left, 2nd is up where 3rd normally is, and 3rd just under 2nd - it was intended to allow 2nd-3rd gear changes on a race track to be quicker...but actually just confuses drivers). James May can't figure it out, but we have more faith in our readers.
The interior of this 2.3-16V looks in decent shape, with the slightly smaller steering wheel (the basic 190 steering wheel would be at home on the Queen Mary), huge shifter knob and some bits of M-B standard Zebrano wood accents. Mid 80s Mercedes interiors are known to survive the years of scotch drinking magazine writers well, but small issues like broken ignition lock-cylinders can cost the bank if you take it to a dealer or MBZ repair shop. The DIY savvy mechanic/owner will spend much of his time on pelicanparts.com, but savings over stealership repair prices are substantial.
See a nicer 190E 2.3-16V for sale? Got your own? tips@dailyturismo.com
hi I am gona show this 16v this Saturday morning at Irvine coffee and cars at 6:30 am I will be there to answer any question.tnx a million dailyturismo.com
ReplyDeleteI've always loved these. Too far from me unfortunately..
DeleteA pressurized plastic coolant header tank? I thought Alfa were the only ones silly enough to do this (GTV6).
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty widespread practice. BMW & Volvo have done this for years. All the GM LS (Gen III, Gen IV) small block V8s are set up this way too.
Deletemy 88 cherokee 4.0 had a pressurized tank. Horrible design. I was pretty young at the time and it took me forever to figure oit whiy it was overheating.
DeleteI'm pretty sure the 190 Cosworth preceded the E30 M3 - googling... here we go, straight from Jalopnik:
ReplyDeleteThe 2.3 Cosworth was extremely successful in DTM racing. So successful in fact, that BMW took notice and gave their E30 the ///M treatment. Yes, you read that right, without the 190E Cosworth the E30 M3 would have probably never existed.
If memory serves, and this was Car and Driver's press car, that would make it the one they sent back to M-B with a "flattering pleat" in the passenger-side rear door.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to correct me, but I could swear I read that somewhere....
you are absolutely right I am the owner of this car looks like for few more days...and you can notice this pleat you mention.
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