In the 1980s and early 90s the Mercedes-Benz 190 (W201 model range) was the most affordable model-series in the Mercedes line-up. Far from cheap, it did draw a lot of extra people to the Mercedes-Benz dealerships than was the case before hand...
Coinciding with the popularity of the W201 modelrange came the upcoming market for aftermarket tuning- and styling parts, mainly from German companies, but also those from the UK, France, Italy and Belgium. At the end of the 1980s a complete catalog of all Mercedes W201 related tuning parts would have been bible sized. Therefore this article is probably never finished, the subject would require a full website; instead, I'm trying to give a nice overview of what was on offer, showing the cars that show the times well, are too pretty to ignore or just too extreme not show. Ladies and gentlemen; the world of Mercedes-Benz 190 tuning.
A Mercedes 190 (W201) by german tuner Vestatec; fitted with some interesting parts like overfenders, an aeropackage that makes the car more rugged, Vestatec wheels and a grille with integrated Mercedes star, which for the brochure had to be blacked out.... Mercedes-Benz didn't want anything to do with this.
Trés chique! Carat by Duchatelet's version of the Mercedes 190, presented at the 1983 IAA in Frankfurt in this candy red metallic paintjob and Centra wheels with details in the same candy red details.
Trés chique part deux: Carat by Duchatelet not only offered the normal width version of the 190 but also came up with this Carat by Duchatelet 190 "Sport" with wider fenders. Really one of the more elegant wide-versions of the W201 in my opinion.
You can't miss this one: HWS (Hans-Werner Schollen) from Aachen Germany built this bright red 190E with SEC nose, a Brabus bodykit and Ronal wheels. Funky!
German tuner AKH, more widely known for the 190 Convertible built in collaboration with CARO Hamburg, made this bespoilered W201 under the name "Serie Note Alpha 5". SEC Nose (glue-on front), bumpers and sills allround and RIAL wheels to match. Interesting are AKH's use of SEC foglights in the front bumper and the interesting color paintwork including airbrush (or sticker) details.
Schulz Tuning from Germany made this nice W201 wide version with fatter wheel arches and a full kit including front-bumper, sideskirts and a new rear bumper. This car also comes with integrated trunk lip and a SEC-style hood. Schulz Tuning also offered engine options for the W201, including a W124 6-cylinder conversion and even optioning the 5,0ltr V8 M117 out of the W126 S-class to be mounted in the 190.
The design drawings for London's Chameleon Car Co "190 Tornado" conversion. The end product would turn out quite similarly outrageous.
The Mercedes 190 Turbo by Lorenz & Rankl. What we see here is a Turbo charged and bodykitted W201 in two slightly different variations. The visual appearance of the L&R 190 reminds of the Chameleon Car Co version of the 190, known as the "Chameleon 190 Tornado", as seen above. Although different in details, the similarities to the Chameleon-conversion are striking. Pronounced bumpers and skirts together with fender flares and a trunk spoiler give this conversion a somewhat caricature like appearance, as if all the parts were actually added to the car. The red "stripe" that runs from the front bumper, across the side to the rear bumper is something also borrowed from the Chameleon design it seems, though the car in the photo below has it repainted in white. Differences between the above and the below car also encompass an SEC-style hood for the below (Japanese) car and a slightly different front bumper with foglights and a divided airinlet.
Leinwather & Blazek made this widebody version of the W201 in "Testarossa-style". The wider bodywork allowed for 225 tires on the front and 245s in the rear on 16" Rial wheels.
Another Testarossa inspired creation was this conversion from the Belgian company RS Car Design. Not subtle in any ways and a bit clunky, which isn't helped by the car's Borbet wheels....
The Kamei version of the Mercedes 190.
Allthough ABC-Exclusive is better known for it's more outrageously styled widebody Mercedes W124 and W126s and BMW 6-series, ABC-Exclusive also offered quite a range of products for the cheaper models in the Mercedes- and BMW lineups.
Lotec's 190 wide-version is in my eyes one the most interesting W201 versions. It looks just right, has a bit of a 190E Evo 1 look about it, but it just works.... Preferably with a 2.5 Turbo charged engine, but the bodyshape itself is interesting enough to keep me stuck to the screen. This Lotec 190 in studio setting shows AMG Penta wheels which suit the package very well.
The early version of AMG's wide body version of the Mercedes 190E (W201); wider front wheelarch and a much fatter rear wheel arch allowed for much fatter deep-dish AMG-Penta wheels (205/55 VR 16 front and 225/50 VR 16 rear).
A late version of the AMG 190E Widebody (1987) with the newer model AMG Penta wheels. This type of wheel makes the actual widebody not so obvious, since the spokes are more flush with the rim. The deep-dish effect is lost.
Pretty interiors were not reserved for the S-class-end of the tuner catalog... some 190s were tricked out with custom interiors that alone were more pricey than a complete base-model Baby-Benz....! This widebodied AMG Mercedes 190 was custom fitted with an all-alcantara upholstered interior featuring Recaro CSE-seats, an AMG steeringwheel, custom interior wood on the dash, doors and centre console and
A proper white leather with red details Gemballa interior for the W201, this one made for AMG. Back in early- to mid 1980s AMG outsourced custom interior-orders to Gemballa Automobilinterieur GmbH for a good reason: Gemballa was one of Germany's leading car interior specialists at that point and still recognized for it's wonderful interior creations.
Another interior from Gemballa Automobilinterieur, which apart from the all-grey leather upholstery has been fitted with a Gemballa multi-functional steering wheel, a digital guagecluster and a new (Pioneer?) stereo system.
A Brabus Autosport Mercedes 190 in eighties white with a dark blue and white grille, white trim, a full Brabus aerokit with new bumpers, rocker panels and Rial Type N wheels in white with dark blue metallic centres. You want the 1980s? Here it is.
Brabus offered various spoiler kits for the Mercedes W201, with or without fog lights, one with smoother 2.3-16 look, over fenders, but all with the typical sloping rocker panel that sets Brabus apart from any of the others. Performance wise Brabus had a whole range of options; from engine enlargement, turbo-charging, engine swapping which would eventually accumulate in specials like the 190E 3.5 with the 6-cylinder 190E 2.6 as basis, the 5.0 Ltr V8 version that got the S-class (W126) engine implanted and the early 1990s Brabus 190E 3.6-24S super light weight BMW M3 killer.
A very nice all buffalo-leather interior by Brabus for the Mercedes 190... While AMG outsourced their more complicated interior requests to specialist companies like Gemballa, Brabus had a fully functioning interior department from the mid eighties onward.
This is the early 90s Göckel Tuning widebody version of the Mercedes-Benz 190. Most likely a one-off handcrafted in metal, since this conversion never showed up in the pricelists, this wide-fendered W201 shows of the wheel sizes that can be fitted to a baby-Benz! Though not completely sure about the tire-sizes on this car, it looks to be a 235 front tire on 15" BBS-RS wheels and a 325 on the rear. Wiiiiide! The design of widening most likely inspired by AMG's widebody W126 SEC conversion, it's exaggarated flares make it look all the more extreme on the short base of a W201. Note the custom creme leather interior this car has been fitted with as well.
Lorinser came up with a lot of different styling options for the W201. This version that has widened fenders was one of them. Though relatively subtle it was a way to nicely fit wider BBS RA wheels to the Baby Benz. Also of interest is the Lorinser bonnet with "brand-less" integrated grille.
The rear-end of the Lorinser W201 widebody shows the customized trunklid very well with a small spoiler that gives that nice sporty touch. Interestingly, Lorinser also offered a larger version of the same spoiler, which ran wider into the rear quarter-panels.
The subtle lines of the MAE-Autodesign Mercedes 190 wideversion... MAE used the original bodystyle/language of the 190 when increasing it's width, allowing this car to wear 225s at the front and 245 at the rear, but not appearing too "Koenig-Specials" at the same time. Interesting feature of the MAE conversion were the rounded wheelarches, as aposed to the Mercedes' original more squared off ones. The S-class style hood and pipes as engine outlets are the tuner's cherry on the cake.
Most likely one of the craziest 190 creations: this 1989 widebody conversion done by German tuner Steppan Autosport which allowed 285 and 345 (Countach / Koenig sized) wheels and tires to be fitted, and a front-end so wide it combined a genuine sized SEC-grille with the uncovered 190's headlights; with normal SEC-nose conversions a 3rd of the light would be covered by the grille.
The Mercedes 190 widebody version offered by Zender.
The same Zender 190 Widebody, but this time fitted with a custom hood... now this is interesting; its grille is an SEC style one but not SEC wide, nor is it as wide as the original fitted to the W201... it's a compromise that's better in check with the proportions of the W201's width, though giving the proper look of the SEC-style grille. The bonnet is a custom job as well, made to fit the grille.
Text: copyright Bram Corts
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