In “It’s a Man’s World,” the Godfather of Soul tells us that “man made the cars to take us over the road.” Over the years, James Brown owned a number of motor vehicles, including the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, 1969 Lincoln Continental, and a customized 1969 Chevrolet Camaro. Today, however, we’ll talk about a Mercedes.
The 190E featured in the photo gallery is listed for sale on MotoeXotica, with pricing available on request. According to the ad, the predecessor of the C-Class “was purchased from his estate shortly after his death in 2006,” meaning that James Brown kept and drove the car for a long, long time. The compact executive sedan was then relocated to the Augusta Museum of History, alongside a singed guitar.
The St. Louis, Missouri-based dealer specialized in high-end, special interest, pre-owned, and exotic vehicles mentions that the car is all stock, save for the license plate up front. Care to guess what it reads in gold letters over a black background?
Sex machine, referring to the 1970 hit single that reached no. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no.2 in the Hot R&B chart. As highlighted by MotoeXotica, this 190E from 1992 “is not just a piece of automotive history, but also of music history.”
The black-painted Mercedes is powered by the M102 four-cylinder, displacing 2.3 liters and tuned to develop 130 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque in this application. Connected to a manual transmission, the 190E isn’t a fast car, but it is one of the final classic models from Mercedes engineered within an inch of its life.
The 201 series, which totals 1.87 million examples produced from 1982 to 1993, became a milestone for future development of the automaker’s portfolio. The multi-link independent suspension is one of the highlights, along with the 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth and the 190E 2.5-16 sport sedans.
Having said these, how much do you think the 190E that belonged to James Brown is worth these days?
The St. Louis, Missouri-based dealer specialized in high-end, special interest, pre-owned, and exotic vehicles mentions that the car is all stock, save for the license plate up front. Care to guess what it reads in gold letters over a black background?
Sex machine, referring to the 1970 hit single that reached no. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no.2 in the Hot R&B chart. As highlighted by MotoeXotica, this 190E from 1992 “is not just a piece of automotive history, but also of music history.”
The black-painted Mercedes is powered by the M102 four-cylinder, displacing 2.3 liters and tuned to develop 130 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque in this application. Connected to a manual transmission, the 190E isn’t a fast car, but it is one of the final classic models from Mercedes engineered within an inch of its life.
The 201 series, which totals 1.87 million examples produced from 1982 to 1993, became a milestone for future development of the automaker’s portfolio. The multi-link independent suspension is one of the highlights, along with the 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth and the 190E 2.5-16 sport sedans.
Having said these, how much do you think the 190E that belonged to James Brown is worth these days?