Niki Lauda Drove This Mercedes-Benz 190E to 2nd Place at the Nurburgring Race of Champions

The car was offered in two versions - 190 and 190E - the latter of which was equipped with a fuel injection system. It quickly became the most desirable small sedan on the market, and the company also introduced a performance variant, marketed as the 190 E 2.3-16V. Before this version was put into series production, the German carmaker showed off its potential at various promotional events, including the "Nurburgring Race of Champions" in mid-May 1984.

The special race was part of the opening event of Nurburgring’s newly constructed Grand Prix circuit, a modern 3.19-mile (5,148-meter) race track for cars and motorbikes. To celebrate the occasion, Mercedes-Benz built 20 identical pre-series 190 E 2.3-16 units and convinced as many well-known race drivers of the time to compete against each other in a twelve-lap "Race of Champions."

The one-off event was meant to celebrate both the debut of Mercedes-Benz’s new 190 E 2.3-16 sport sedan and the opening of the Grand Prix racetrack and remains the largest gathering of past and present Formula 1 World Champions ever.

Three-time Formula One champion Niki Lauda was part of the star-studded starting grid, which also included resounding names like Stirling Moss, Alain Prost, James Hunt, and Alan Jones. The Austrian motorsport legend had not returned to the Nurburgring since his nearly fatal crash in 1976.

With three F1 championships under his belt, Lauda probably felt the most comfortable behind the wheel of single-seat race cars. However, on this occasion, he proved his prowess by driving one of the twenty 1984 Mercedes-Benz 190E cars.

The 190 E 2.3-16 sports sedan was a performance-oriented version of the 190 E compact sedan designed for touring car racing. In terms of looks, the vehicle was a radical departure from what Benz accustomed its clients to. It had an integrated body kit characterized by sharp lines, a deep front spoiler, a high trunk line, and a tapered rear section.

In roadgoing trim, the 190E 2.3-16 was equipped with a 16-valve inline-4 engine tuned by Cosworth that produced a maximum output of 183 hp (187 ps) and 174 lb-ft (236 Nm) at 4,500 rpm. It could hit 0-62 mph in less than eight seconds and reached a top speed of 146 mph (235 kph).

Standard road cars were used for the special racing event, but they were modified for competition by Gerhard Lepler of Mercedes-Benz Sport-Technik. The cars received a lower suspension, shorter final drive, wider wheels wrapped in Pirelli racing tires, un-silenced racing exhaust systems, upgraded brakes, quick-release hood, and bolt-in roll cage with fire extinguisher. The interior also suffered modifications, the most notable being the twin Recaro racing seats with six-point seatbelts and a smaller diameter steering wheel.

As per the paperwork submitted to the German National Racing Commission prior to the race, none of the cars raced with the engines listed on their factory data cards.

Half of the participating 190Es were painted the model's iconic Blue-Black Metallic, while the other half wore the Smoke Silver livery.

As it turns out, only two of the competing cars still remain in as-raced condition, and the one driven by Niki Lauda is one of them and is set to soon cross the auction block.

Lauda only qualified 14th for the twelve-lap race at Nurburgring but managed to snatch second place with his number-18 Smoke Silver Mercedes 190E.

All but two of the 21 cars modified for the race (there was also a spare car) were subsequently reconfigured as road cars and sold to dealers or brand VIPs. The units kept in full racing trim were the ones driven by Lauda and Ayrton Senna, the winner of the 12-lap race. The Brazilian race driver's car went to the Mercedes-Benz Museum after the race, as Senna was gifted a brand-new 190E, which makes this car here the only privately-owned Race of Champions 190 E that remains in its original as-raced configuration. Niki Lauda even autographed the roof of this remarkable machine in 2016, when he was reunited with it for the final time.

This particular example of the 190 E 2.3-16 was first registered by Mercedes-Benz in April 1984 as "S-HH-7837" and comes with Smoke Silver livery. After the race, it was sold to fashion heir Jochen Holy. It later ended up in the ownership of an Austrian collector from Vienna, who ordered a comprehensive recommissioning at Mercedes-Benz Classic headquarters in Stuttgart in 2017.

The Niki Lauda-driven Mercedes-Benz 190 E is now being offered for sale by RM Sotheby's as part of the Iseli Collection and is expected to sell for 400,000 to 500,000 Swiss francs, which translates to approx. $450,000 to $565,000 at current exchange rates.