This Mercedes 190E Evo II Is Almost Brand New

TheBMW M3has always been the benchmark in the compact sports sedan segment, but back when theE30 variantfirst hit the roads in the 80s, there was noMercedes-AMG C63to rival it. Mercedes had a different naming convention at the time and its hero was the190E 2.5-16 Evolution II, the best version of the best sports sedan Merc made and the grandfather of today's C63. The car was introduced, like the M3, to meet homologation rules and only around 500 units were made. So it has heritage. But what is it worth in today's money? A lot, and one has just come up for sale.

Auction house Gooding & Company has one listed under lot 36 on its site, and it's a stunner. Number 105, this model has done only 10,000 kilometers since new, or a little over 6,200 miles. That's roughly just 207 miles per year since it rolled off the line in 1990. This particular model was delivered new to Japan before its current German owners purchased it five years ago, but despite its low mileage, it was sent to the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Irvine, California where it was given a thorough once-over to rule out any potential issues that its age may have created.