The Lighter, Meaner, Faster Mercedes EVO II

Some cars are rare. Some cars are special. And then there’s this: number 23 out of just 502 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16v EVO IIs ever made. But before you start polishing your monocle and muttering about “investment grade classics,” let’s get one thing straight this isn’t just any EVO II. This is the EVO II that snuck out of the factory, hit the gym, and came back 300kg lighter than its siblings.

While the standard EVO II tips the scales at 1,340kg, this one weighs in at a featherweight 1,030kg. How? By going full track-day hero: the interior has been stripped bare, leaving only two racing bucket seats and a roll cage. No plush carpets. No sound deadening. No back seats for your friends. Just pure, unfiltered motorsport.

And let’s be clear: this isn’t a show pony for concours lawns or a garage queen waiting for the next auction. This is a car built to be driven hard. Forget about investment portfolios and collector bragging rights. This EVO II is a full-on track tool, engineered for apexes and adrenaline, not velvet ropes and champagne.

Reviving Legends: Mercedes 190E Evo II Replica

Lowering a Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II over a set of BBS wheels? I can almost hear the purists falling off their chairs. But fear not, this is a replica. And it’s so meticulously crafted that you can barely tell the difference from the outside. I spotted this gem at Ultrace, lined up with other classic models from the Mercedes-Benz catalogue.

These days, you can transform a standard Mercedes-Benz 190E into a true legend. A quick search for an Evo II body kit for the Mercedes-Benz 190E yields plenty of results on Google. So, if you own a 190E, the possibilities are endless. Genuine Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution IIs have become prohibitively expensive, which isn’t surprising given that only 502 units were ever made. If recent auction prices are anything to go by, they now fetch no less than €300,000.

Back to this well-crafted replica, the owner has added several personal touches. Most striking are the BBS LM wheels that fill the wheel arches nicely, thanks in part to the air ride suspension.

The Levella Mercedes Benz 190e x C32 AMG

The Mercedes Benz 190e 2.5-16V EVO 2. They seem to pop up quite frequently, but you won’t find one for less than $250,000, at least according to Bring a Trailer. The latest auction on there was on March 13th, and the highest bid reached a whopping $370,000, which still wasn’t enough for the seller.

Now, onto this particular specimen from Levella, a wheel manufacturer in Germany. With the increasing demand for the Mercedes Benz 190e 2.5-16V EVO 2, it’s no surprise that replicas are hitting the market. You can now even buy a full EVO 2 body kit for your standard 190e. I’m not sure if that’s the case here, but what I do know is that you won’t find the 4-cylinder 2.5-16V engine under the hood. Instead, there’s a 3.2-liter V6 sourced from a much newer C32 AMG.