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You may not have heard of Hans Werner Aufrecht, the German engineer and businessman, though you’ve almost certainly heard of his work. Aufrecht co-founded AMG, the independent engine and tuning company that built upgrade packages for various Mercedes models before the automaker later acquired it. Last year, Aufrecht announced that his company HWA was developing restomodded Mercedes 190E models, with the iconic 190E 2.5-16 Evo II as inspiration. Now, you’ll have the chance to buy the very first one ever made—if you have enough money, of course.
Chassis 000 of Aufrecht’s HWA Evo is heading to the RM Sotheby’s Tegernsee auction on July 27 and it’s expected to pull in a pretty penny. HWA is only making 100 of its Evo restomods but all 100 allocations are already spoken for. Chassis 000 is your only chance to get one now, and it will likely cost considerably more money than the $775,953 that HWA is asking for each of the other 100 cars.
How could a restomod cost three-quarters of a million dollars? Well, calling it a restomod is doing a huge disservice. The HWA Evo starts life as a standard Mercedes 190E donor car. Then, HWA strips it to its bare chassis: no engine, no suspension, no interior, no nothin’. Then, it gives the bare chassis a chemical bath to clean it, so HWA can start from scratch. From there, it gets carbon fiber body panels with outrageously large fender flares, a surprisingly radical redesign, and modern interior technologies. Inside there are four seats, with Recaro classics with four-point race harnesses up front.
Instead of the Cosworth-built, 2.5-liter 16-valve four-cylinder engine that inspired this project, the HWA Evo uses a Mercedes-sourced and heavily tuned 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 that makes 444 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque with a dry sump oil system. Paired with that Mercedes V6 isn’t a Mercedes automatic, though, it’s a six-speed manual transaxle. Six-piston front calipers with 15-inch rotors, and four-piston rear calipers with 14-inch rotors do the stopping. The entire thing—with its four-corner double-wishbone suspension, electronic dampers, and lift system—only weighs 2,980 pounds. HWA has a full spec sheet brochure that’s basically a gearhead’s dream come true.
HWA has been building Mercedes race cars for decades, so Aufrecht knows a thing or two about making them go fast. While this Evo lacks the original 190E 2.5-16 Evo II’s visual charm with its more modern look and modern twin-turbo Mercedes engine, the results should be pretty incredible. It’s no wonder 100 wealthy people already put their orders in. If you’re one who missed your shot at snagging one the first time, RM Sotheby’s is giving you a second chance.
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