#Spotted
(Old text, circa late 1980s)
The #BabyBenz isn't a baby anymore. Its dimensions might not have changed, but under that subtly sculpted bonnet of the W201 is now a larger engine. Mercedes-Benz didn't even have to seek assistance from its neighbours to shoe-horn a bigger powerplant. In fact, they didn't even have to ask the helpful specialist folks from a neighbouring country to make them a customised head for more power. All they had to do was look up their own parts list. From the W124, which in itself is like a bigger version of the W201, comes a 2.6-litre straight-six. On normal days, the engine is found in the 260E, but on days when you wish Matt Monro to sing 'Questi giorni quando vieni il belle sole', its application in the new model, aptly — if a bit unimaginatively — called the 190E 2.6, will prove to be perfect.
(New text, about forty years later)
For the maiden post of #Spotted, what could be a better car than the 190E 2.6? Never officially sold in India, the chances of finding one, especially with the strict import laws and the fact that Mercedes-Benz India didn't begin their journey in India till the mid-90s, were next to zero. Not zero, though. This particular car is right-hand-drive, has astoundingly low mileage, is specced quite nicely, and its overall condition seems to be near mint. What makes this sighting special has to be the presence of a rather unique bootlid spoiler. It has three fabled letters on it, which somehow gravitate all the attention, especially if you're a Mercedes-Benz fan.
The history books — if you're reading the same ones as me — will tell you that the first AMG to be sold at Mercedes-Benz dealerships was a 190E. This was years before the merger happened, but AMG was different from other tuners like Brabus, for AMG and Mercedes-Benz had already begun fielding a collaborative racecar.
AMG initially had a solution to make the existing road-going 190E more powerful but that wasn't the end of the story; they eventually got a bigger 3.2-litre engine, too. The company also had its list of parts available like a spoiler, front apron, side sills, etc. Period brochures also show the AMG Pentas fitted to the 190E, and they definitely look better here than on the W124. Other options were Bilstein suspension, wider wings, Recaro seats, and a different steering wheel.
The featured car isn't as extensively modified, but the included spoiler speaks volumes about the original owner's taste. And it makes for quite a sight, doesn't it?
A tiny W201:
A great way to complement the first post here has to be a tiny W201. While Tarmac Works is preparing a W201 190E 2.6 for release next year, all I have right now is the 2.5-16 racer. This car, brought to the racetrack in collaboration with AMG, had pretty prominent names behind the wheel — and as you can see the livery, on the bodywork, too. One of those was Ellen Lohr's. She's a bit of a DTM legend, deserving of more than just a concluding paragraph in a short story. Soon, then?
The Tarmac Works model was bought (in India) from Mini Carz World
