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.

DP Motorsport’s Porsche 911 “Black Champ”

If Darth Vader ever gave up the Empire and took up track days, he’d drive this: the DP Motorsport 911 WTL “Black Champ” 3.6. A black-on-black symphony of wide arches, race exhaust, and pure, unfiltered Porsche aggression.

This isn’t your average 911 with a body kit and a dream. No, the “Black Champ” is built using a factory fresh Porsche WTL chassis from 1994. WTL stands for Werks Turbo Look meaning it’s got the wide hips of a Turbo, but without the actual turbo. It’s like dressing like a heavyweight boxer and still being able to dance like Muhammad Ali.

DP Motorsport, the mad geniuses from Overath in Germany, have draped it in lightweight glass fiber panels, including a bonnet and rear spoiler inspired by the Porsche SC/RS from 1984. It’s lean, mean, and looks like it’s about to punch a GT3 in the face.

The Untold Saga of the Mercedes-Benz C111

If you ever wondered what happens when Mercedes-Benz decides to go completely mad, in a good way, meet the C111. No, it wasn’t a production car. No, you could’t buy one. And yes, people actually sent blank cheques to Stuttgart begging for it. That’s how bonkers this thing was. But it wasn’t just one car, Mercedes-Benz used the C111 for several different versions.

Imagine a car that looks like it was designed by a sci-fi illustrator on espresso. The C111 cars all had gullwing doors, a fiberglass wedge-shaped body, and a paint job called Weissherbst metallic orange.

These photos were taken in 2019 when Mercedes-Benz made a big impact during the 2019 Techno Classica show in Essen, Germany. They brought 5 of these so-called C111 cars to the show. The Techno Classica show is the largest classic car show in Europe and exhibitors include car manufacturers, dealers, restoration companies and private collectors. One of the big changes, and something that has been going on for a few years now, is diminishing support from the big three German car manufacturers. So you won’t see these kind of exhibitions anytime soon at a car show.