1989 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16v Cosworth

Once upon a time in the mid-noughties a gentleman car enthusiast named Hugh had a friend called Howard who had a Mercedes 190E Cosworth, which looked good and drove really well. Hugh quite liked the idea of having one too, so he bought this one - an August 1989 registered 190E 2.5-litre 16V Cosworth with a very full service history - becoming its 8th owner.

Although based in Cornwall, Hugh was building himself a home high in the mountains of Crete, and when it was finished he moved there taking the Mercedes with him. He really enjoyed driving it around the mountain roads - but never re-registered it locally. For a few years he drove it back to the UK every summer for a service and MOT, each time filling it with British goods that he couldn’t get in Crete for the return journey.

One day the car wouldn’t start, there was some kind of fuel issue. As the island of Crete wasn’t known for its specialist car mechanics and no one would come up the mountain track to look at it anyway, he pushed it aside and left it by an olive grove outside his villa until he got round to sorting it out. There it sat for several years, all but untouched by human hands...

Still in contact with his expat friend, Howard would often enquire of Hugh whether he’d yet got the Cosworth going again. Eventually, about a year and a half ago, Hugh told Howard that if he wanted it for himself, he could have it for nothing… but he’d have to come and fetch it from Crete!

In November 2019, still UK registered and on the DVLA system, the V5C for the 190E changed hands and Howard became its 9th owner. All he had to do was take possession of the car. As the Mercedes wouldn’t run, and a transporter couldn’t get up the mountain to the villa, Howard eventually decided to extend a regular European business trip to tow a trailer to Crete and collect the car himself.

A 12-day adventure ensued, including being required to buy a Swiss motorway carnet on the way back for the non-functional trailer-borne Mercedes (which is still in the windscreen). The car finally returned to UK soil in October last year.

Having had the car checked out by a local garage and weighed up his available spare time against the extent of restoration required, Howard reluctantly decided - after all the effort he’d gone to - to do the honorable thing and surrender the car for sale.

The outside of the car was originally Blue-Black metallic (one of only 4 colours available on the 2.5-litre Cosworth - the others being Smoke Silver, Almandine Red and Astral Silver) but it is now looking rather faded and sorry for itself.

We could list all the defects and blemishes but we are not paid by the word to write these descriptions, so suffice to say that whilst the bodywork appears generally intact, there are a lot of areas of corrosion to repair, especially around the rear half of the car and it will likely need a new nearside rear quarter panel followed by full strip down and respray. There are nearly 300 photos of the car from every possible angle so we would recommend you scrutinise these to get a view on the body shop work required.

The exterior does appear complete, however, with all body panels, glass, trims and appendages present and vaguely attached to the car. The only thing we can see missing externally is the boot lock barrel which had to be punched out after becoming unrecoverably stuck on the return journey from Crete.

The 190E Cosworth sits on 16-inch 7-spoke alloy wheels, which we don’t think are the OEM wheels but suit the car and actually don’t look in that bad a condition considering. We could tell you what tyres are fitted but whilst they’re fit for rolling the car on and off trailers and around a workshop, you’ll be replacing them once a resto is finished.

The interior of the car is also complete, but rather a mess. Time, sunshine and critters haven’t been kind to the upholstery and softer trims inside this 190E although the dash was covered and hasn’t warped. The leather seats have a number of splits and holes but likely could be salvaged or at the very least retrimmed.

There are a handful of electrical parts and odds and ends scattered around the floors and seats in various states of disrepair and disintegration including an Alpine 7817R CD Tuner (the same type as fitted to Bond’s DB5 in Goldeneye apparently - who knew?!). As far as we’ve been able to test, none of the electrics or interior equipment are working!!

We’ve got this project car at our HQ near Abingdon in Oxfordshire and would strongly encourage a personal inspection given the state it is in. Use the ‘Contact Seller’ option to arrange a visit - subject to Govt. guidelines - or we could set up a video call and show you round the car in real time.

Like the rest of the car, everything is present under the bonnet although in questionable condition and probably unserviceable, although there’s not a lot of rust on show. The engine is apparently still full of oil but the crank won’t turn - the vendor’s mechanic tried briefly. It is unknown whether the engine is seized or if something else is preventing movement.

This car is a combination of Mercedes and Cosworth engineering though - two of the best in their field - so there is hope that some of the major components could be resurrected. With evidence of rodent inhabitation elsewhere in the car, the wiring loom is clearly not to be trusted though.

Underneath the car there are some areas where the inner wheel arches and jacking points have rotted through, but whilst the warm climate has taken its toll on the exterior, the undersides don’t appear to have suffered massively from corrosion in the way they would have if this car were stashed by a copse of trees outside a bungalow in England. The sills, based on the images provided, appear to be in good condition.

Inside the boot - which you won’t be surprised to learn has a couple of patches of rust around the rear of the opening - appears relatively sound with linings and covers still present and no obvious holes across the floor or in the wheel well. There’s a 15-inch steel spare inside which has just about survived being inhabited by all manner of Cretan critters and would easily clean up and be serviceable with a new tyre. There’s a warning triangle and jack there too, as well as a handful of tools and spare belts - although we wouldn’t recommend fitting them!

The car’s last MOT was in September 2010 at 162,778 miles - we think it might need just a little bit of work done before it goes for its next one!

It’s a shame that the owner who took it to Crete with him didn’t get round to repairing the car, as at the time it had one of the fullest of full service histories you’re ever likely to see. No fewer than 28 stamps in the original Service Booklet, from pre-delivery inspection right up to the summer of 2010, shortly before its last MOT.

Aug 1989 - PDI - Alan Day Mercedes London

Sep 1989 - 799 - Alan Day Mercedes London

Nov 1989 - 5,669 - Alan Day Mercedes London

Jan 1990 - 12,889 - Alan Day Mercedes London

Apr 1990 - c18,000 - Alan Day Mercedes London

Jul 1990 - c24,000 - Alan Day Mercedes London

1993 - 37,101 - Team Central Birmingham

Jul 1994 - 44,612 - Team Central Birmingham

May 1995 - 48,461 - Steve Elmore Newton Abbott

Aug 1996 - 57,060 - Steve Elmore Newton Abbott

Jul 1997 - 67,043 - Lindfield Motors West Sussex

Nov 1997 - 72,577 - Lindfield Motors West Sussex

Apr 1998 - 79,308 - Lindfield Motors West Sussex

Aug 1998 - 85,551 - Lindfield Motors West Sussex

Sep 1998 - 87,792 - NCS Top Cars Newton Abbott

Sep 1998 - 88,778 - Mercare Plymouth

Jun 1999 - 105,379 - Mercare Plymouth

Oct 1999 - 108,803 - BMG Plymouth

May 2000 - 121,910 - BMG Plymouth

Aug 2000 - 125,910 - BMG Plymouth

Oct 2000 - 132,390 - BMG Plymouth

Mar 2001 - 136,803 - Mercare Plymouth

May 2001 - 141,520 - Mercare Plymouth

Oct 2002 - 145,328 - Richards Bros Redruth

Aug 2007 - 156,286 - SS Motors Truro

Aug 2008 - 160,525 - SS Motors Truro

Jul 2009 - 160,726 - SS Motors Truro

Aug 2010 - 162,778 - SS Motors Truro

The car comes with its original owner’s books in their original pouch, a Haynes workshop manual and a wad of old MOTs and garage invoices from the nineties and noughties.

The Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16V - aka Cosworth - is a desirable modern classic and asking prices for sorted examples, even high milers, are strong compared to the standard 8V cars. Mercedes of all vintages are a popular choice on The Market, but those from the late 20th Century - especially those with Cosworth engines and stylish body kits - offer a great mix of classic feel and modern comfort with amazingly solid engineering.

Make no mistake, this Cosworth is very definitely a project but it has a huge history prior to its Cretan holiday and doesn’t appear so far gone that it couldn’t be tackled in stages by an enthusiast using professionals for the specialist jobs.

We think this project 190E Cossie offers anyone a great opportunity to carry out a nut and bolt restoration and still have some value left in the car. It is offered with NO RESERVE so whoever has the highest bid come closing time will be its new owner. As a result we estimate this vehicle to reach somewhere between £3,000 - £7,000.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.