This Is How The Mercedes 190E Took The Super Saloon Fight To BMW

Mercedes’ new A45 AMG is already causing a bit of a stir. With 355bhp and four-wheel drive, it’s quite clear that the three-pointed star is taking the fight to BMW in the uber-hatch class. Will superior power and all that extra traction be able to trump the BMW M135i? We’ll find out next week when we're behind the wheel of one. But for now, here’s a look back at Merc’s first attempt to take on BMW’s M Division: the W201 190E 2.3i- and 2.5-16.

You might not believe it today, but the 16v 201 actually started life as a rallying project. Merc wanted a piece of the permissive rally rules in the late ’70s, and decided its new, BMW-busting 190 would be the car to take up the challenge. AMG didn’t become a Mercedes-controlled concern until 1990, so instead the task of developing the new car’s powerplant fell instead to Cosworth. But as development progressed, it soon became clear that Audi’s arrival on the Group B scene with turbochargers and four-wheel drive would render Merc’s challenger completely hopeless. Rather than cancel the project entirely, Daimler head honchos opted instead to switch their focus to providing a circuit racer capable of taking part in the DRM, fore-runner to the DTM.

As all good retro motorsport buffs will know, a homologation run of production vehicles was required for many race series back in the day, and the DRM was no exception. As a result, the road-going 190E 2.3-16 was born, first breaking cover in 1983, and powered by a de-tuned version of the racer’s powerplant. Based on the M102 2.3-litre 8v, it featured Cosworth’s 16v head, developed with influence from its earlier (and now iconic) DFV and BDA race engines, as well as pressed alloy pistons and uprated piston rings.

Elsewhere on the car, Citroen-inspired hydropneumatic rear suspension offered self-levelling abilities, while a mechanical limited-slip differential added full doriftu cred. A discreet bodykit, meanwhile, gave the 2.3-16 a drag coefficient of just 0.32, one of the lowest of any saloon car in its day. With 183bhp, it was not a slow car, and contemporary testers praised its free-revving engine and taut, composed handling, even if the notchy five-speed Getrag gearbox and overly large steering wheel drew some criticism.

As a rival for BMW’s 141bhp 323i, the 2.3-16 was a dominating presence, and even when the 169bhp 325i arrived on the scene in 1985, it still couldn’t quite match the pace of the Merc. But BMW had more up its sleeve – namely, the E30 M3. Arriving in 1986, its 197bhp four-pot powerplant was both more powerful and more flexible than the Merc’s revvy four-cylinder. Mercedes had to respond, and it did so purposefully, increasing the stroke of the 190E’s engine to create the 2.5-16, which emerged in 1988. In addition to the bigger engine, the updated hot Merc got a new 'automatic locking differential', or ASD for short. This was an electronically-controlled system that used hydraulic fluid from the rear suspension system to lock the rear diff, providing greater control than the previous, passive mechanical system. Clever, no?

Now with 201bhp, the fast 190E had become a true rival for the M3, but the cat-and-mouse horsepower game was only just beginning. In order to keep pace with the competition, both on track and off it, the 190E 16v became ever wilder. First, the AMG Power Pack offered an optional power boost to 224bhp. Then, in 1989, and by now strangled to 191bhp by the addition of a catalytic converter, the 2.5-16 was joined in the range by the first Evolution.

The Evolution didn’t offer any more oomph than the standard 2.5-16, but it did have a number of significant changes under the skin that homologated several tweaks Mercedes wanted to make to its DTM racers. These included a shorter stroke combined with a wider bore and a series of changes to the car’s running gear, not least the expansion of the self-levelling system to the front suspension. This last move allowed for full ride-height control, allowing the car to be dropped into ‘race’ mode for a lower centre of gravity. An aggressive bodykit completed the picture.

But even endowed with the Power Pack, the Evolution couldn’t quite match up to the pinnacle of M3-dom – the Sport Evolution. So Mercedes gave the 2.5-16 one final, epic spritz to bring it on par. The result was the mad Evolution II, which arrived in 1990, endowed with fat arches, a jutting chin spoiler and a faintly absurd hoop spoiler on the bootlid. Under the bonnet, power was up to 232bhp, and the engine now revved right the way around to 7,700rpm, making it a frenetic thing to drive. In this form, the 190E finally had the match of the M3, and while it was never as naturally gifted as its rival, the brutal and unrelenting way it delivered its performance, and its devotion to technological supremacy, set a precedent for Mercedes performance models that can be traced right the way through to the A45.

Fancy seeing (and hearing) a race-spec 2.5-16 Evolution II in action? Your wish is our command...