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See also Mercedes-Benz 190 for other models sold with the same name or visit http://www.mercedes190.co.uk/ The Mercedes-Benz W201 was introduced in November 1982 as the '''Mercedes-Benz 190''' £600 million was spent Researching and Developing this car with Mercedes acutely aware that a failure of this model could easily bring down the rest of their model range and ultimately the entire company’s reputation. By their own admission, the 190 was ‘Massively Over-Engineered’ and done so for one reason - to be That much better than the competition as to leave them way behind. They were not interested in competing for one or two customers to switch from ford or rover, but for ten’s and hundred’s of customers to suddenly find a new edge to Mercedes with a new image of sports orientated, compact cars. They were not wrong. The UK market was kept waiting up to 12 months longer than mainland Europe to get the 190’s into the showrooms and so by the time they did, they were gone. Local ‘Red Tape’ in Bremen prevented MB from building the 190 there as they wanted and so production was started in Sindelfingen at a maximum capacity of just 140,000 units per year. Eventually after just the first year, Bremen was cleared for production of the 190 and these lines replaced the commercial vehicle lines at Bremen which included the first running modifications since it’s release. The model was a single 4 door saloon/sedan body type which was designed to fill a hole in the model range below the W123 series. It was quickly dubbed "the Baby Benz". In Europe the petrol engine range included 2.0 L carbureted and injected engines, a 2.3 L, 2.6 L and finally a 1.8 L injected model during the last three years of production. 1983 also saw the first 190D models with a brand new engine which was 25lb lighter than the 2.0 petrol engine ! This engine had uncommon ‘Crossflow’ cylinder heads, hydraulic tappets and a single belt driving all ancillaries, following the design of their petrol engines. Everything was readily accessible for servicing and a thermostatically controlled heating element stopped diesel ‘Waxing’ in cold temperatures and going to jelly in the fuel lines. The sound had been deadened by 50% and that was down to the 3 piece capsule around the engine, later to become standard on all 190’s and this remains one of the 190’s most distinguishing features from the other models. The 190 was in the small 'Sales Executive' class in the UK and Europe and was rivalled but never equalled by the Audi 80 , BMW 3 Series and the Saab 900 . High performance models were developed for rallying but a change in the rules opened the door to 4 wheel drive models, Mercedes choose not to redesign with the car and so turned their attention to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) motorsport series instead. For the USA the engine range did not include the 1.8 L or 2.0 L petrol blocks, while the Diesel engines were dropped after 1989. The ''190E 2.3'' version was dropped after 1988 and returned in 1991. 1993 marked the debut of the Limited Edition. Production ended on May 5, 1993. About 1.8 million were produced. The C-Class replaced it in 1994. 190E 2.3-16 & 2.5-16 This high performance version of Mercedes-Benz's smallest car, debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September 1983 , after its reputation had already been established. Three cars, only slightly altered in cosmetic bodywork, had previously set three world records in August at Nardo, Italy . They recorded a combined average speed of 247.94 km/h (154.06 mph) over the Endurance test of 50,000 km. Twelve international class endurance records were also established. The heart of the 2.3-16 was its engine, which was developed by Cosworth engineers. It had a light alloy cylinder head with Dual Overhead Cam shafts and Four Valves Per Cylinder (16 valves total), giving the performance version its name. The 190E 2.3-16 consequently produced 72 hp (53 kW) and 41 ft·lbf (55 N·m) of torque more than the basic single overhead cam engine with only 2 valves per cylinder. The 2.3 L engine (designated the M102 ) produced 185 hp (137 kW) at 6,000 rpm and 174 ft·lbf (235 N·m) at 4,500 rpm. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) was 8 seconds, and the top speed was 230 km/h (144 mph). The larger 2.5 L engine replaced the 2.3 L in 1988 and increased output only by 10 hp (7.5 kW) without any additional torque. The, now renamed, 190E 2.5-16 Concour's 2.5 16v http://www.mercedes190.co.uk/ THE EVOLUTION MODELS Back in the late 1970s , Mercedes competed in rallying with the big V8-powered Coupés of the R107 Series, mainly the light-weight Mercedes 450 SLC 5.0 . The 190E 2.3-16 was originally designed to continue rallying, but the Audi Quattro with its All Wheel Drive and Turbocharger and made it apparent that the 2.3-16 would not be competitive. Thus, this car was released as a high powered luxury version. At the inauguration of the new, shorter Nürburgring in 1984 , a race with identical cars was held, with former and current F1 pilots at the wheel. A rather unknown young driver named Ayrton Senna took first place in that race, causing quite an upset because everyone got really jealous. Private Teams such as AMG later entered the 2.3-16 in touring cars races, especially the DTM . In the late 1980s , this car and its companion, the 2.5-16 (never released in the United States) scored several wins, against the similar BMW M3 and even the turbocharged Ford Sierra Cosworth However, it became obvious the 2.5-16 needed a boost. And one had to come soon with the debut of the BMW M3 Evo, Mercedes direct competitor. In March 1989 , the 190E 2.5-16 Evolution debuted. This car had a redesigned engine allowing for 210 hp (156 kW), compared with 195 hp (145 kW) for the stock 2.5-16 and approx 185 hp (137 kW) for the 2.3-16, with a shorter stroke but with larger pistons. This car also had a redesigned body kit, which included a new spoiler, wider fender flares, and an unmistakable Evolution badge in both quarter panels. This variant of the 190E was by far the best of its kind, and only 502 units produced for Homologation in compliance with DTM rules. While the Evolution I model did quite well, engineers knew that the 190E could be improved more. In March 1990 , at the Geneva Motor Show , The 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II was shown. With the success of the first Evolution model, this model's 502-unit production was already sold before it was unveiled. This car retailed in 1990 for US$ 80,000. First, power was upgraded to 235 hp (175 kW) by increasing the bore and stroke. Secondly, a radically designed body kit, with a large wing, rear window spoiler, and special Evolution II rims. That body kit served an aerodynamic purpose — it was wind tunnel tested to reduce drag to 0.29. One BMW executive was quoted saying "if that rear wing works, we'll have to redesign our wind tunnel." Together with the BMW M3, which was much more successful overall worldwide, the 190E 2.5-16 continues to dominate the "Normally Aspirated cars up to 2500cc" class in endurance and 24 hour racing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, as newer models from BMW and Honda are not designed to be as competitive as these two 1980s veterans. |
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