Weird Tuning: Mercedes-Benz 90E Fastback Crossover from Russia

The Mercedes-Benz 190E is a great car, especially in Cosworth form. But not all people value the classic Merc as much as we do. Take for example this Russian owner who decided to make a one of a kind special out of the Mercedes sedan and call it the E90 crossover.

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Classic Flashback: Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3 and 2.5 16v Cosworth [with Video]

This is the tale of the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3 16 and 2.5 16 sport sedans. Developed in collaboration with Cosworth initially for the rally scene of the 1980s, the flagship version of the 190E series eventually went on to dominate track-racing and ended up on the roads as well, putting up a good fight against BMW's iconic M3. Even though nine times out of ten, people would choose the Bimmer over the Merc, the 190E Cosworth's underdog status makes it an equally appealing car. As Richard Hammond put it: "it was Cinderella, but the coach never came".

But let's take it from the start. In the late '70s, the V8-powered 450SLC rally car started to show the signs of aging, so the Stuttgart automaker decided to replace it with a compact model. Jointly developed with Cosworth, the 190E never made to rallying though, as Audi took everyone by surprise with the Quattro, featuring four-wheel drive and a turbocharged engine. Mercedes' management didn't want to fight an battle it couldn't win so instead, they competed in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM).

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Barnyard Collection of Two New BMW M3 E30s, a Mercedes 190E EVO II and a Ford RS200 Group B!

It appears that everyone and their uncle are agreeing that this barn find, found in Swansea, England, is one of the best finds ever. While I'm more of a Boss '9 in Kentucky kind of guy, I'll agree that these low mileage rides are indeed quite cool.

In order of built-for-homologation badness, there's 1) a white 350+ horsepower AWD Ford RS200 road-going Group B rally car with 1,042 miles, 2) two first-gen E30 M3s - which, normally, would put out 195 horsepower - in red with 37 and 57 miles on them, and 3) a blue 232 horsepower Mercedes 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II.

Both red racers and the Benz were built so BMW and Mercedes could compete in Group A Touring, while the RS200 was made street-able so Ford could put people into the rally ring during the hairy-chested Group B years.

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