Ethere are a handful of Mercedes which can be considered in and of themselves ‘a wonderful excess’ both for their image and for what they meant. One of them is the stratospheric CLK GTR street, derived from the model created to cross sections in Le Mans at more than 350 km/h. And another, without a doubt, would be the Mercedes 190 E 2.5 16 Evolution IIengraved even in the retina of the layman for having a spoiler almost as high like the roof itself.
Great experience
This model is the one that is now being reborn, although ‘the mother’ is not Mercedes herself on this occasion, but the German trainer HWA. And this is a guarantee that the project will not be modest, since HWA was in charge of build the 20 units of the Mercedes CLK GTR (as well as the six roadster variants), is the most successful team in the German touring car championship (the famous DTM), has experience in Formula 3 and Formula E and has maintained a close relationship with Mercedes during years.
The project that HWA is going to carry out is not actually a production from scratch, but rather what they call a job ‘restomod’. That is, take a car from the period, completely disassemble it and update it completely to make it a modern sports car, although preserving the classic aesthetics.
a donor
HWA work begins with a donor, That is, a Mercedes 190 that is delivered by the future buyer of the project, or that the HWA itself is in charge of searching for and whose price adds to the final rate. That car is completely disassembled and a bodywork treatment begins that includes reinforcement according to the planned increase in power, and subsequently the installation of a roll cage.
The engine that is installed is completely new, and instead of being 2.5 liters it is now a 3-liter biturbo V6 that delivers 450 HP, for the 235 CV that the original Evolution II offered. It does not change the concept of transmission, which remains manual, although now with six speeds, nor a distribution of the force that goes to the 100% to the rear axle.
Much wider
Regarding the chassis, the shock absorbers are adjustable, We understand that brakes are carboceramics and the tires can be 18 or 19 inches, with tires whose measurements have not been revealed but that will far exceed those of the original model. In fact, the HWA Evo Restomod, as it has been called, measures 1,900 mm wide without counting the mirrors, when the original model remained in 1.720 mm.
In addition to this greater width, which to tell the truth fits but very well, one of the successes of the project is the little that has changed the appearance of the car. In fact, the most striking thing is the mandatory modernization of optics, which maintain the original shapes of the housings in which they are framed but include the expected LED lights. The radiator grill, by the way, is now black instead of silver, and of the Mercedes star there is no trace. All of this is included in a set of only 1.350 kg because some of its components are carbon fiber (they have not specified which ones).
Only the HWA Evo Restomod will be built 100 units, of which we assume that all of them will already be sold or will be almost there. And the price is not for any pocket: 714,000 euros without taxes, of which the future owner must deliver 214.200 euros (again without taxes) and a donor car upon signing the contract.
