1987 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3 16v Cosworth

First registered in November 1987 by Bradshaw & Webb Mercedes-Benz of Chelsea, this Smoke Silver Metallic 190E 2.3-16V Cosworth was first registered to Mr Edward Dawe, a director of the DeBeers diamond mining company in London.

Needless to say, its specification is high and the factory options included automatic transmission, air conditioning, cruise control, rear headrests, an electric driver’s seat, a sunroof, an alarm system, and a Blaupunkt Vancouver stereo.

The total, on-the-road price was £31,035, or the equivalent of around £80,000 today. Our guide price is nowhere near that figure, so if you’ve ever fancied getting your hands on a very useable example of Mercedes’ M3-killer – and the car that introduced Senna to the world - sit back and read all about this lovely example.

The Cosworth is painted Smoke Silver Metallic, one of only two colours available for the 2.3-16V, the other being Blue-Black Metallic. The paintwork looks good for a car that’ll never see 35 again, and the panels are straight and align well, including the metal sunroof.

The flanks are straight and free of ripples and other damage, and the Cosworth body kit adds a purposeful air to the 190’s otherwise somewhat staid lines.

The light lenses, badges, and glazing are all good and the bumpers and door mirrors are nice and black.

(Note the front and rear numberplates, which are each held on with four screws. Everyone else uses a bit of double-sided tape; if anything goes to the heart of M-B’s over-engineering this does…)

The car sits on its original lightweight 15-inch forged alloy wheels, which look in a good condition with just a little kerb scuffing on the front nearside (#10). All are fitted with Marshal Matrac tyres dated 2006, so while the tread depth is good we’d recommend fitting a new set.

Faults? Well, apart from the usual stonechips and marks every classic collects over the years, the nearside sill trim is heavily scuffed (#172), and the paintwork on the rear nearside quarter and wheelarch is less than perfect (#105), as is that of the rear wing (#164).

The interior of this 190E appears largely original. The bill of sale specified the trim as black cloth 071, which is the checked fabric that’s fitted on the facings of the leather seats and on the door cards.

The leather-and-plaid upholstery appears in a fair to good condition with no apparent damage other than snagging on the driver’s seat base (#41), a little wear in the usual places and the occasional stain. If any of these bother you, then, as you can see in slide #229, new fabric is available to recover the seats.

The dash and the instrument panel, both of which are a model of clarity and ergonomic triumph, are in good order, although the steering wheel is not standard. (What looks like the original is in the boot, should you want to restore the interior to its factory specification.)

The centre console sports the additional three gauges that came with the 16V cars. Above it sits a period Mercedes-Benz stereo, which is not the original

Blaupunkt Vancouver but a contemporary Becker unit.

The wood veneer around the gear shift is intact and doesn’t appear to be too badly cracked, although there are a few nicks on the edges.

So far as we’ve been able to test, most of the electrics and interior equipment is functioning - including the electric sunroof - but only the driver’s window seems to operate correctly.

Before you ask, we haven’t been able to test the period Racal Vodafone that sits between the front seats; a classic late ‘80s ‘brick’ it was the last word in executive connectivity at the time but the UK’s cellular telephone network has moved on since 1987, so it’ll have to serve as an interesting conversation starter and no more.

The carpets are in good order with a little wear by the driver’s footwell and there are also overmats for additional protection. The headlining appears clean and intact.

Inside the boot, the carpet and linings are good, and underneath is the jack and a full-size spare wheel that’s fitted with a Bridgestone tyre. Also in the boot are a first aid kit, warning triangle, and the original tool kit. The metalwork in the spare wheel well appears sound with no significant rust.

Other flaws? Well, if originality and the car’s future value are your thing then you might like to take a look at the window opening of the nearside front door (#93) as it’s a bit scruffy.

The 190E has a current MoT valid until February 2023 which it passed with no advisories bar a small cut to one of the tyres.

The car also comes with numerous Mercedes-Benz invoices for parts and work done as well as its original book pack including sales brochure, owner’s manuals and service booklet, in which the following services are documented:

• November 1987 - PDI at Bradshaw & Webb of Chelsea
• December 1988 and 10,776 miles – service at Mercedes-Benz Brentford
• October 1989 and 18,448 miles – service at Mercedes-Benz Brentford
• October 1990 and 24,123 miles – service at Mercedes-Benz Brentford
• October 1991 and 33,489 miles – service at Mercedes-Benz Brentford
• May 1992 and 35,303 miles – service at Mercedes-Benz Brentford
• June 1993 and 40,157 miles – service at Mercedes-Benz Brentford
• January 1994 and 42,632 miles – service at Mercedes-Benz Brentford
• February 1997 and 53,509 miles - unreadable
• November 1997 and 60,025 miles - owner serviced
• July 1999 and 72,583 miles – service at Mercedes-Benz Southend
• August 2000 and 78,911 miles – service at Mercedes-Benz Southend
• 2014 – 2019 – in storage (estimated)
• August 2019 and 103,302 miles – service by Auto Service, Hitchin
• February 2022 and 103,790 miles - service and MoT by KwikFit, Tamworth

In addition to the MOT and service in August 2019, Auto Service also recommissioned the car and this is documented in the history file. In total the work set the owner back more than £3,000, which sounds a lot until you see the scope of the work, which included: brakes overhauled including new hydraulic pipes; throttle cable renewed; auxilliary drive belt replaced; coolant refreshed; nearside front lower balljoint replaced; and some electrical and fuelling issues resolved.

A new Bosch battery was fitted in October 2021.

As you can see, it starts well and revs and ticksover as it should. It thrives on revs and the 185bhp feels like more as the rev counter wings its way past 5,500rpm on its way to the 7,100rpm limit. (In race trim they could top 10,000rpm…)

The underbonnet, which is missing its sound-deadening lining, appears in a fair to good condition. There is some surface rust across the back of the engine bay on the driver’s side and on some of the components and fixings, but the engine and major ancillaries seem in good order.

The undersides of the car appear largely rust free and floor panels are still coated in underseal. There is a little surface rust here and there (i.e. #193 and #214) but otherwise the underneath looks relatively clean, tidy and undamaged.

The car was bought in the mid-nineties by DeBeers’ fleet manager, Raymond Chalkley, in whose name it remained until late 2009, although it was his son Scott - a member of staff at Mercedes-Benz Stratford - who looked after the car.

It passed to its third owner in South Wales in 2009 and was sold at auction in the following June. The fourth owner was a modern classics specialist from Oxfordshire who kept the car on the road for around four years before dry storing it until 2019 when it was sold, again at auction.

Soon after the purchase, he sent the car to a German car specialist in Hitchin for recommissioning which cost over £3k before finding himself stranded in Florida by the pandemic forcing its sale to the man who’s selling it now.

The Cosworth’s MoT certificate is valid until February 2023 and the recent Vehicle History Check is clean.

With the price of the BMW M3 E30 and Ford Sierra Cosworth having gone stratospheric, it’s inevitable that those with a hankering for a pure-bred sporting saloon from the eighties are looking elsewhere and few cars are more revered that the 190E Cosworth.

And, it’s not as if you’d be settling for second-best because the 190E is a fantastic car in its own right. Lest we forget, in 1984 Mercedes provided 20 identical cars for top-flight racing drivers to celebrate the opening of the then new Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit. These included such luminaries as Stirling Moss, Niki Lauda, Carlos Reutemann, Keke Rosberg, James Hunt, Alain Prost, and an almost unknown Brazilian called Ayrton Senna - who went on to win the race in a stunning display of car control and confidence.

Despite this impeccable pedigree – and this one’s impressive provenance - we estimate this rare 190E Cosworth will only reach somewhere between £12,000 and £16,000, which is cracking value in anyone’s eyes, surely?

It’s one you can add value to too, as and when motivation and funds collide, so it should look after you in the long-term. This is known in the trade as having your cake and eating it.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.