The Cosworth Mercedes-Benz 190s were very expensive in their day, but these two examples — one competition prepared, the other standard — show why they were worth the extra cost.

Words Tim Nevinson Photos Quinn Hamill

It will probably never happen again. In an extremely competitive 2.0-litre saloon market-place every manufacturer’s product was costed to the last cent, and rarely over-engineered. Each manufacturer in that segment also sold vehicles that were smaller, higher volume machines; the likes of BMW, Audi, Saab and Volvo took this tack — and all made a song and dance about their products’ strength and fortitude.

To be over-engineered a car does not have to be heavy, it merely has to exceed customer expectations

Mercedes-Benz had never been in the small car market, and its products were seen as substantial, high-quality machines even amongst the large and expensive limousines with which they competed. Its cars were used as taxis in Europe, the Middle East and Africa simply because they were seemingly unburstable. Mercedes-Benz products were not cheap, but were engineered to be totally dependable.

The company’s decision to break into the light car market was seen as a joke by many, who thought the car would be frumpy, heavy and clumsy. Because the resultant light car looked just like a scaled-down version of the bigger models, this opinion was understandable — not that it bothered Mercedes-Benz, which realised that it had hit the trump card as soon as its W201 design was introduced in November 1982 as the 190.

Not since the Rover 2000 in 1964 had a 2.0-litre car been so well engineered, and because Mercedes has since got into the cost-cutting loop itself, a car this well engineered probably won’t happen again. To be over-engineered a car does not have to be heavy, it merely has to exceed customer expectations, which for most 2.0-litre cars in the 1980s were unspeakably low. To take this point to its extreme, Colin Chapman once said that his ideal Grand Prix car would self-destruct as it crossed the finish line (first, of course) — for it to achieve any more would merely be a sign of over-engineering.

Big Car Solutions

Mercedes engineers of the time would have struggled with this philosophy, and their Mercedes W201 design used small versions of big-car design solutions. The W201 wasn’t especially space efficient, nor was it fleet of foot, but this didn’t bother Mercedes or its customers. Its current customers got a smaller, cheaper car with close to the same amount of prestige, and the company soon had new customers queuing up to buy into the perceived prestige and fortitude for a small car price. Mercedes answered critics of the model’s poor rear access and space by retorting that if customers wanted more space then there were bigger products to meet that demand.

To taxi drivers the world over the 190 was a gift from above — they weren’t bothered about how much space their customers had, as long as it was just enough.
Taxi drivers got an unbreakable vehicle that was economical to run. The Mercedes 190 with its 67kW 2.0-litre carburettor engine was a supreme case of supply creating demand. Mercedes-Benz provided a product which exceeded its new customers’ expectations, and when it introduced the diesel 190D and fuel-injected 190E it had all bases covered.

More than 1.8 million W201 sedans were made between then and May 1993, without major reengineering. By any standards it was a huge success, and changed the Mercedes image for ever. Unfortunately, however, it also introduced the company culture to the vagaries of volume production and cost cutting. The 190 had few inherent faults (timing chains and unreliable climate control being the main ones on earlier cars), which meant that by Chapman’s standards it was hugely over engineered — many a 190 has over 400,000km on the odometer. An excellent 190 can now be picked up for small change, and still delivers good value.

Before the 190 was introduced, Mercedes realised that its image was a bit on the blue-rinse side for the dynamic 2.0-litre market, and decided that world rallying would be a good showcase to ease the Mercedes name into the more youthful ‘small’ car market whilst still emphasising its inherent strength, just as SAAB was doing with its 99 Turbo. The Swedes at this time were encountering a similar problem to all the other competition departments of manufacturers with main products that were turning to front wheel drive. Front drive cars just couldn’t handle the power or provide the agility that rally regulations permitted, and rallying was dominated by rear-drive cars with four-valve engines.

Record Breaker

The way Mercedes saw it, its W201 rear-drive platform with a special four-valve engine and lightweight two-door body would be just the ticket to get it on rally podiums around the world, and into the minds of the younger buyer. Unusually for the great German engineering colossus, it outsourced the cylinder head design to the acknowledged four-valve engine expert of the time, Cosworth, which, whilst it had not produced engines in Mercedes-type volumes, had made a better job of it than most with Ford.

Cosworth was amazed to get the phone call from Stuttgart, and the subsequent delivery of the 2.3-litre M102 engine marked a turning point in Cosworth’s history, as it elevated the engineering concern to the status of a volume manufacturer and valued consultant to big industry. Both companies benefited hugely from the exercise, but not quite as they had planned it.

During early development of the MB201 rally car Audi turned the rallying world upside down with its four-wheel-drive quattro. Virtually overnight two-wheel-drive was dead and buried as a successful rally weapon. Mercedes killed off the its two-door project and rally programme, but the project got far enough along for Mercedes not to back out of its partnership with Cosworth and they gamely carried on, feeling that the four-valve 2.3 would at least prove the 190 was no slug.

customers got a smaller, cheaper car with close to the same amount of PRESTIGE

In August 1983, at the world’s fastest high speed test track near Nardo, in Southern Italy, a 190 with the Cosworth 2.3-16V set three world records; the fastest average speed of 247.939kph for 50,000 kilometres; 1,000 kilometres at 153.54 miles per hour, and 24 hours at 246.713kph (153.30 mph). Twelve international class endurance records were also established. The 190E 2.3-16V model was then released to the public at the Frankfurt Auto Show a month later in September 1983, with a ready-made reputation for speed and reliability.

The record-breakers were only slightly modified from what could be bought at Frankfurt. The windscreen and headlight wipers, and the outside rear-view mirrors, were removed, and headlight and grille shields were fitted. The rear axle ratio was changed to 2.65:1 and the tyres to Pirelli P7s.

Otherwise, the cars were standard, featuring Cosworth’s light alloy cylinder head with twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, electronically controlled (Bosch LE Jetronic) fuel injection, air bathed injection valves, a single poly-V-belt, hydraulically damped engine mountings, and an oil cooler.

Clever Casting

The Cosworth-developed engine produced 54 more kilowatts and 56Nm more torque (72hp and 41lb/ft) than the single overhead cam 190 engine. The extra fine sand Cosworth used to sand-cast the cylinder head was specially imported from Australia; it gave a finish so fine that machining was unnecessary in several locations. The 16V uses mechanical lifters instead of hydraulic, allowing the M102 2.3-litre (2299 cc) engine to develop 138kW (185 DIN horsepower) at 6200rpm. Torque was 199Nm (174lb/ft) at 4500rpm.

The European version of the 2.3-16 ran a 10.5:1 compression, versus 9.7:1 for the US version. European versions also had a higher red-line (7200rpm versus 6800 for the US) and also had a lower ratio rear axle, which gave higher top speed. The Euro version achieves its 138kW with the same displacement by using higher lift cams with longer duration and a free flowing exhaust. The serpentine Cosworth exhaust manifold created a problem for RHD markets, so these markets didn’t see the 16-valver until revisions were made in this area.

Acceleration was about eight seconds from zero to 100 kilometres per hour, and maximum speed with the standard 3.07 rear axle was 230kph.
Mercedes fitted a close ratio Getrag five-speed gearbox (top gear is 1:1), with a dog-leg first, and added a stopwatch, voltmeter and oil temperature gauge to the centre console. Self-levelling hydro pneumatic five-link rear suspension and ABS were part of the car’s excellent specification. Later models offered traction control and an electronic differential, which provided anything from 20 to 80 per cent lockup.

Evolution I and II models added self levelling to the front which, with the rear hydro-pneumatic, then gave the driver three different ride height adjustments — this was in 1988!

Three Points

In the spring following the announcement of this out of character Mercedes buzz-box, the world’s motoring press were treated to three significant discoveries on the same day. The first was that the new Nürburgring was dull and clinical, a shadow of its former self. In a celebrity race former champions Sir Jack Brabham, Phil Hill, John Surtees, Denny Hulme, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg — along with Stirling Moss, Carlos Reutemann, John Watson, Klaus Ludwig, Manfred Schute, Jacques Laffite, Udo Schutz, Hans Hermann, Elio de Angelis and Alain Prost — all of them driving brand new Mercedes 190 2.3-16s, were handed a sound beating by a young Brazilian, Ayrton Senna, a virtual unknown who had made his F1 debut just two months before.

the subsequent delivery of the 2.3-litre M102 engine marked a turning point in Cosworth’s history

Unlike the established stars, who were in a celebrity race for a bit of fun, as we later came to expect Senna took this opportunity to beat F1’s stars very seriously. Alain Prost took pole, but Senna took him out after half a lap and went on to win. It was the beginning of a new era in motor sport, not least because the third discovery was that Mercedes wanted to be seen as a players in motor sport, and had produced an excellent weapon with the 190 2.3-16.

It was five years later that Cosworth-AMG cars entered the DTM series (the German touring car championship), and the 16-valver was able to show its racing potential. Over the next five years the car won 50 races for Mercedes, taking several championships and creating many new German star drivers as late as 1993, its final competition season. Once the DTM ball was rolling, Mercedes continually updated the homologation of the 16-valve engine, along with new aerodynamics and parts, to keep its car competitive against the M3 BMWs and Audis.

In all, 17,037 2.3-litre 16-valve 190s were produced, until 1988 when Mercedes upgraded to the 2.5-16 using its stock 2.5-litre block and in-house manufacture of the Cosworth-type cylinder-head, complete with an automatic transmission option. Whilst the 190 2.3-16 Mercedes was never officially called the Cosworth, the name stuck, but pedants will tell you that only the earlier 2.3 is a true Cosworth, the 2.5 being made entirely in Germany. In total, 4784 2.5 models were produced before the model’s demise in 1992.

Evolution

The first W201 Evolution cars came in 1989 with larger wheels, and a year later the Evolution II had striking flared arches with 18-inch wheels, a larger front air-dam and ducting, and an air deflector above the rear screen cleaning up the air for a large boot-mounted wing, in total giving a drag co-efficient of 0.32. The Evo II had 168kW (225bhp) in road specification, and more importantly sported a special short-stroke version of the M102 block, along with a four counterweight forged steel crankshaft and a top speed of 250kph.

Over the next five years the car won 50 races for Mercedes, taking several championships and creating many new German star drivers as late as 1993

In all 502 examples of the Evo II were built before production ended on May 5, 1993, but not before the DTM cars were producing 283kW (380bhp) at a mind warping 10,000rpm — all normally aspirated and only 2498cc. About 1.8 million 190s were produced before the C-class replaced it in 1994. Whilst the standard 190 has yet to be acclaimed as a classic, a landmark car if ever there was one, the Cosworth, through its racing success and undoubted prowess as a road car, has carved a niche as a little gem for itself amongst aficionados of motor sport and Mercedes products.

German Marques

In New Zealand a couple of brothers, Ron and Evan Campbell, have such respect for the Mercedes-Benz marque that they decided to turn a road-going 2.3-16 into a Targa rally car which can double as a circuit racer. It is amazing that nobody has done this before, as the Cosworth-Mercedes has great weight distribution, superb handling and a tough drive train. Not content with one car, the Campbells have an identical 2.3-16 in immaculate condition (in spite of its incredibly high mileage) serving as an everyday drive car. This car was fortunate to inherit the full Recaro leather interior and electric driver’s seat, all faithfully reinstalled with the original factory looms by Ron, right down to the door-mounted controls from the rally car.

Evan buys and sells used, NZ-new European cars to the trade, and naturally has developed a great knowledge of the German marques and, in particular, has a soft spot for the Cosworth, with four examples to date passing through his business. Ron markets Dynatron, a vehicle security system that can not only immobilise your car but can, for a price, go as far as to track a vehicle’s movements as soon as it is tampered with, allowing a vehicle to be shut down and recovered before any further damage or loss occurs.

The Campbells both know all there is to know about the Cosworth-Merc, and have put together a package that is ideal for Targa and track. We tried both the road car and the Targa car around Pukekohe Park Raceway, which is not the ideal environment for either car in their current set-up, but we came away mightily impressed.

Jekyll and Hyde

The standard production car — with a staggering 357,000 kilometres on the clock — would have cost NZ$137,000 when new in 1986, and as such one would have expected it to be pretty good. It doesn’t disappoint; the Cosworth engine is tractable and well mannered at a gentlemanly pace, and the ride and handling — whilst firmer than a standard 190 — is composed and tight. It is when the car is extended that the bark from the 16-valve engine encourages you to press on and test its limits.

The engine is a joy to use, as is the gearbox until you really start pressing on. The brakes do all that is asked of them in a few laps of the circuit, but quick down-changes are an art to be mastered as the lever seems to get lost when you are hurrying down the ’box for the hairpin. Whilst the roll is controlled by normal standards, coming out of the hairpin the back becomes impatient and tries to get ahead — good fun and easily controlled.

With the rally set-up the car is slightly nose up, ideal for chucking at unknown corners

All of this is fixed in the competition car, which is one of the easiest, most vice-free cars I have driven on a circuit, even set up as it is with rally damping rates and springs. It was so good that after a few laps I could feel myself wanting to take liberties with it, and felt that at this point it was probably a good time to stop, whereas Ron riding in the left-hand seat was happy to see more action, and felt that I was starting to get into the groove!

The Difference

With the rally set-up the car is slightly nose up, ideal for chucking it at unknown corners, but mitigating against high speeds on the circuit. The Campbells have fitted a short throw gear linkage on this car, which improves the change out of recognition, and the roll and steering ratio which flustered the standard car on the track are all taken care of with strut braces front and rear, competition King springs (courtesy of Edgar and the team at George Stocks), Koni oil-filled adjustable dampers and a smaller steering wheel that makes the steering far more direct — thankfully the car still has power steering.

The 16-inch wheels come from the later C-class, now with 20mm spacers. Brakes are equipped Mintex pads all round, with big Brembo 292mm grooved rotors clamped by 500E four-pot ATE Teves callipers at the front, and two-pot 300E callipers with Brembo grooved rotors at the rear; all supplied by Race Brakes and an essential part of any competition car. For circuit racing the car is lowered another 75mm (more at the front) and the 900lb front springs give way to 1500lb, while at the rear they go up from 700lb to 900lb.

The wheel arch flares are superbly blended in and actually came from a MkI Golf, although the plan is to secure a genuine Evo II kit with all the bells and whistles before too long — 18-inch racing rubber is the only constraint! The roll cage by Mark Herbert is a superb piece of engineering, as is the fuel cell now in the boot, done almost entirely by the brothers in time for the last Dunlop Targa and now with 120 litres capacity — for endurance racing, perhaps? The whole car is very professionally prepared, giving a solid, reliable, manageable package that allows Ron and Evan to enjoy the driving and spirit of competition, knowing that this car will, like their road car, exceed all expectations.

And yes they both drive and, equally important, both navigate (although co-drive is probably a more appropriate term), with split times that are a hair’s breath apart be that on the circuit or on the Dunlop Targa

Road car 1986 Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3-16

Engine: Four in-line M102983
Valves: 16
Capacity: 2299cc
C/R: 10.5:1
Max power: 139kW (187bhp) @ 6200rpm
Max torque: 235Nm @ 4500rpm
Fuel system: Bosch KE Jetronic
Transmission: Five-speed Getrag
Suspension: Front Struts and lower A-arms; Rear Self levelling independent five-link
Brakes: Front Std W124 (300E) single pot sliding calliper; Rear  Two-pot with solid disc
Final Drive: 3.07 LSD
Tyres: 205/55-15

Dimensions

Length: 4430mm
Width: 1706mm
Wheelbase: 2665mm
Height: 1361mm
Track F/R: 1445/1429mm
Fuel capacity: 70 litres
Weight: 1240kg (unladen)

Performance

Max speed: 240kph
0-100kph: 7.9secs
Economy: 10.5 litres per 100km

Race/Rally car 1986 Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3-16

Engine:Four in-line M102983, flowed head, race/rally cams, lightened, polished and blueprinted with blade faced crank and ARP rod bolts
Valves: 16
Capacity: 2299cc
C/R: 11.5:1
Max power: 194kW (260bhp) @ 5500rpm
Max torque: 290Nm @ 4800rpm
Fuel system: Revalved and machined Bosch KE
Transmission: Five peed Getrag with shift kit, Sachs paddle clutch
Suspension: Front Std struts and lower A-arms Koni adjustable with 300lb King springs; Rear five-link Koni oil adjustable with King 300lb coil springs
Brakes: Front Four-pot ATE callipers, Mintex pads grooved, vented Brembo discs; Rear  Two-pot with grooved Brembo discs
Final Drive: 3.92, 3.46, 3.27 or 3.07. All 80% LSD
Tyres: 205/55-16 Dunlop DO2

Dimensions

Length: 4430mm
Width: 1706mm
Wheelbase: 2665mm
Height: 1361mm
Track F/R: 1485/1469mm
Fuel capacity: 120 litres
Weight: 1260kg (fully fuelled)

Performance

Max speed: 200kph (Targa gearing: 3.92 diff)
0-100kph: 6.1 seconds (3.92 Dif)
Economy: 33 litres per 100km — racing octane