One-Owner 1987 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth Heads to Market

Among 1980s homologation specials, the BMW E30 M3 tends to hog the spotlight. Yet Mercedes-Benz had its own answer in the 190E 2.3-16, a machine developed with Cosworth that could hammer a racetrack on Sunday and still behave itself on the Monday commute. A 1987 example of that car is now up for sale, offered directly by the man who bought it new, with an asking price of $50,000.

The car shows fewer than 50,000 original miles and has reportedly been treated as a fair-weather toy for four decades. Finding any late-80s performance model still with its first owner is unusual; finding one that has escaped the usual round of track modifications is rarer still. Like the M3, the 2.3-16 existed to satisfy homologation rules and was built in modest numbers, and most left the factory with the dogleg five-speed manual rather than the optional automatic.

What separated this model from a standard 190E was largely the Cosworth-designed 16-valve cylinder head, which lifted output well above the base 2.3-litre car. Cosworth also fitted mechanical valve lifters and lighter pistons built to rev, while the package added self-levelling rear suspension, a model-specific body kit, Recaro seats front and rear, a limited-slip differential, extra gauges low in the centre stack, and uprated wheels and brakes. The car’s reputation was cemented when Ayrton Senna drove one at the 1984 Nürburgring Race of Champions, in a field made up entirely of 2.3-16s. This particular car is said to present strongly, with glossy wood trim, an uncracked dashboard and seats showing minimal wear.

Documentation is said to stretch back to the first day of ownership, and the seller explains that age — he is now 87 and driving rarely — is the reason for parting with it. The asking figure reflects both the condition and the single-owner history, two things that are hard to replicate on a 38-year-old homologation car.