Hans Werner Aufrecht – the “A” in AMG – has launched a re-engineered 190 E “HWA EVO” with modern tech and speed.
As an engineer, Hans Werner Aufrecht always has an eye for speed. As a businessman, he founded AMG. With a storied career that needs no introduction, the legendary tuning firm eventually was bought by Mercedes. After the buyout, Aufrecht founded HWA AG and has since been doing small volume car development, and working extensively in motorsport.
Being a car maker has always stayed as a constant vision for Aufrecht, and now the HWA EVO brings that vision back to fruition. Through their HWA Legacy program, the Affalterbach company has teamed up with Curated to bring to market the most advanced resto-mod of a 190 EVO II that has ever been produced.
While the EVO II is the icon of DTM racing, only 500 were made for homologation purposes. It would be sacrilege to cut one of those up. Furthermore, this isn’t just a breathed on 190 E Cosworth. To be a stand alone manufacturer, HWA will have extensive modifications. Think of how Ruf is to Porsche.
The basis will be a W201 to start, and interestingly, the technical details are still to be announced. Engine? We don’t know yet, but a few teaser images give us some insight into what HWA thinks might be their interpretation of the EVO II. Part of a hand-sketched image on the HWA Legacy website says “Maybe M276? M139? M159?”
M276 engines are mainly found in the last generation of “43” AMG models, and with 390 horsepower, you’d have a good basis to start with. Plus, turbocharging leaves lots of room for more power. The M139 is a very interesting choice, being a turbocharged 4-cylinder. In a way, this seems to be a great nod to the EVO II’s heritage of being a high performance 4-cylinder car. And the M159 is a bit of a laugh, because of the absurdity. An SLS AMG motor in a W201? It’s an idea we would certainly enjoy seeing come through.
One hundred HWA EVO resto-mod W201’s will be built, at the price of $773,000. A few should find their way into the USA, as HWA AG has teamed up with Curated, who are US-based classic car experts. Details on the car will come soon, and production is expected to start in 2025.
Photos courtesy of HWA AG