Photo: Daimler AG
Both officially and unofficially known as the original “Baby Benz”, the Mercedes-Benz 190 was essentially the predecessor of the modern C-Class in pretty much every way, including its successes in motorsport, mainly in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM).
One of the most-loved road variants of the 190 is the 2.3-16, which first started life by breaking three world records and nine other international records at the high-speed track in Nardò, southern Italy, back in 1983.
Those rather amazing feats were only the beginning though, as the 1980s saw the DTM variant of the 190 E 2.3-16 prove to be a formidable competitor on the track, with legendary drivers such as Roland Asch, Klaus Ludwig or Bernd Schneider behind the wheel.
In 1989, the innovative and highly unusual look of the Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II captured the hearts of many three-pointed star aficionados, especially since its road-going variant looked quasi-identical to the successful DTM race car.
A quarter of a century later, one of the only 502 road-going Evo II cars ever built is returning into the motorsport spotlight, with none other than Roland Asch and Sebastian Asch – his son – behind the wheel of the model at the upcoming ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race on the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
This will actually be the second outing in the 2014 season as part of the Youngtimer Trophy, with the model to be raced for no less than three hours on the 25.378 kilometers (15.769 miles) Nordschleife+Grand Prix Circuit.
“Mercedes-Benz Classic built the 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II as an historic motorsport works racing car for the Youngtimer Trophy to promote this unique form of preservation of our historic motor sport heritage on the racetrack,” explains Michael Bock, Director Mercedes-Benz Classic and Customer Center. “This commitment contributes to bringing back to life some of the exciting eras of motor sport history in a particularly authentic way – and it creates the opportunity for many other magic moments in what is a very special race series.”
The ADAC 24h Classic will take place as part of the Zurich 24-Hour Race from 19 to 22 June 2014, while the father and son team with the 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II will race on 20 of June.
Those rather amazing feats were only the beginning though, as the 1980s saw the DTM variant of the 190 E 2.3-16 prove to be a formidable competitor on the track, with legendary drivers such as Roland Asch, Klaus Ludwig or Bernd Schneider behind the wheel.
In 1989, the innovative and highly unusual look of the Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II captured the hearts of many three-pointed star aficionados, especially since its road-going variant looked quasi-identical to the successful DTM race car.
A quarter of a century later, one of the only 502 road-going Evo II cars ever built is returning into the motorsport spotlight, with none other than Roland Asch and Sebastian Asch – his son – behind the wheel of the model at the upcoming ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race on the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
This will actually be the second outing in the 2014 season as part of the Youngtimer Trophy, with the model to be raced for no less than three hours on the 25.378 kilometers (15.769 miles) Nordschleife+Grand Prix Circuit.
“Mercedes-Benz Classic built the 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II as an historic motorsport works racing car for the Youngtimer Trophy to promote this unique form of preservation of our historic motor sport heritage on the racetrack,” explains Michael Bock, Director Mercedes-Benz Classic and Customer Center. “This commitment contributes to bringing back to life some of the exciting eras of motor sport history in a particularly authentic way – and it creates the opportunity for many other magic moments in what is a very special race series.”
The ADAC 24h Classic will take place as part of the Zurich 24-Hour Race from 19 to 22 June 2014, while the father and son team with the 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II will race on 20 of June.
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