A Mercedes-Benz 190E, from more than a decade ago, with a Brabus makeover is now for sale. What is special about the model?
This particular Mercedes is a one-off 3.6S Lightweight. The German tuner revealed a prototype 23 years ago as a bold take on the more conventional 190E. That prototype has no comfort features whatsoever. All you could find onboard were a steering wheel, paddles, a gear shifter and two seats. There was far from being enough to satisfy customers though. They required something more comfortable, more practical, more… humane. Therefore the production model came with several features that made the car viable. It featured an air conditioning system and rear seat.
In 1988, Brabus PR director asked for this Mercedes-Benz 190E special
Twenty years later, the Brabus PR director Sven Gramm commissioned the company to build a one-off 3.6S Lightweight just like the prototype from 1988. And this is what came out. The model is no up for sale on eBay.
As the name hints, a 3.6-liter straight-six operates under the hood. It develops 286 horsepower. Brabus installed a tweaked engine cooler, a modified transmission oil cooler and a bespoke differential oil cooler in the rear spoiler. There is also a bespoke steel exhaust system and new manifolds. All the changes make the car accelerate from a standstill to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 6.3 seconds and hit a top speed of 158 mph (254 km/h).
It was Sven Gramm himself who used the car before selling it to its current owner. Four years ago, it was registered in the Unitek Kingdom with only 6,487 miles (10.440 kilometers) on the odometer. Back then it sold for 131,995 pounds (€154,316 or $182,147). Now again it is up for sale, but the price that Fast Classics announces is a bit lower: 99,995 pounds (€116,908 or $137,988).
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