The Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 – Reliability Records at Nardo in 1983 set the paces for Tri-Star badge

Mercedes-Benz has always been known for their over-engineered cars – regardless of their market-segments, they were designed to be almost bulletproof to any conditions given. Just like all things – there is always one that set the bar and although not many remembers; for Mercedes-Benz, it was the 190E 2.3-16 valve.

A month before the launch of the W201 at the 1983 Frankfurt motorshow – Mercedes-Benz took 3 identical 190E 2.3-16s to the Nardo Autodromo in Italy to prove the car’s reliability to the world. Over a period of 10-days, the company took over the 12.5 km circular-track; travelling over 50,000kms and a total time of 201 hours, 39 minutes and 43 seconds to set these records.

The 190E managed to set 2 world records in a span of 25,000 km; 1 world record running 25,000 miles and 9 additional records in their class. Throughout the distance – the car ran full throttle, setting an average speed of 154.04 mph (247km/h) in 5th gear @ 6000rpm proving the car’s bulletproof reliability without a single flop. Although manufacturers these days can produce these numbers with one-eye shut – 30 years ago, setting such records was as amazing as the moon-landing.

Designed by Bruno Sacco – the 190E was the entry-level car in the Mercedes-Benz line-up, and due to the astounding success (particularly in Europe), the 2.3-16 valve was the company’s first attempt at making a performance biased compact sedan at that time. Although AMG was known for their racing pedigree – AMG was not involved in making road-going Mercedes until the late 80s, working hand-in-hand with Daimler Chrysler. Before the existence of AMG in Mercedes-Benz, the 190E 2.3-16 was AMG’s performance machine.

Over time – the W201 became popular for its capabilities and eventually taking stage in the Motorsports World, pitting F1 drivers like Ayrton Senna (before F1), Niki Lauda and Stirling Moss behind the wheels, going head-to-head around the Nurburgring Circuit.

Although the 190E 2.3-16 was not the epitome of the W201 – it was the most significant, setting the standards for not only the tri-star badge, but also other automakers. Not long after the introduction of the 2.3-16; BMW felt challenged and got to work with the (now) legendary M3 E30.

To remind ourselves of this significant machine – recently a rather German video resurfaced over the internet for your viewing pleasure.

No doubt that the 190E is now a highly sought after classic – especially the 2.5 Cosworth and the awesome looking 2.5-16 Evolution, but remember that amongst the 1.8 million units built – the three 190E 2.3-16 in 1983 was the one that brought the legendary status to the W201.