Key Takeaways

• 190E-based restomod features reinforced chassis, new front and rear subframes, and bespoke suspension with KW adjustable dampers.
• 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 with HWA management system produces up to 493 brake horsepower with Affalterbach package.
• Engine features custom-developed dry-sump lubrication solution to lower center of gravity,
• Digitalized interior with retro-style gauge faces and Recaro bucket seats.

HWA – the company named after Hans Werner Aufrecht, one of the two founders of AMG – has announced the full technical details of the HWA Evo, a circa $760,000 Mercedes 190E restomod inspired by the legendary 2.5-16 Evo II. We’ve spoken about it at length before, but aside from a price (€714,000 before taxes), confirmed production numbers of 100 units, and details like the first car heading to auction to find an extra special home, a lot of the details were kept under wraps – only revealed through a few industry leaks. But HWA has laid its cards on the table, and the HWA Evo is even better than we thought it’d be and the antidote to the modern Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance and its four-cylinder hybrid powertrain.

500 Horsepower, Manual, Rear-Wheel Drive

If those six words got you hot under the collar, then you’re in good company. That horsepower figure is metric, though (denoted in PS in Europe), so here in the land of Freedom and Cheeseburgers, you’ll be getting a maximum of 493 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque from a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6, when you spec the Affalterbach package. That V6 is a Mercedes unit – likely sourced from the AMG C43 Sedan – but with HWA’s own engine management system developed in-house.

Fun Fact:
HWA has 11 DTM titles, two Formula E titles, and more than 480 victories from HWA-powered teams in Formula 3. It’s also been responsible for the preparation of more than 700
Mercedes customer GT race cars like the AMG GT3
.

But the engine is thoroughly worked over to achieve its high output, with HWA’s decades of motorsport experience coming to the fore. For starters, there’s dry-sump lubrication, technology that only a handful of Mercedes-AMG’s most high-strung engines get. This lets HWA lower the center of gravity (as you don’t need a chunky oil pan under the engine) but also prevents oil starvation under high-G cornering loads, the sort you’ll endure on a racetrack where the HWA Evo is engineered to spend most of its time.

“The dry sump system offers multiple benefits, significantly reducing the engine’s height and lowering the car’s center of gravity, which helps achieve higher cornering speeds. But no matter how intense the cornering forces are, the dry-sump system ensures a consistent oil supply to the engine. Similarly, while the upgraded intercooler increases performance, it also helps keep the engine cool under extreme driving conditions, such as multiple laps of the Nürburgring.”

– Christiaan Liebeton, HWA Technical Project Leader of Powertrain.

The engine is front-mid mounted (placed behind the front axle, which has been moved forward by almost two inches) with weight moved back in the chassis by virtue of a rear-mounted six-speed manual transmission (a transaxle, like the original 2.5-16 Evo II). Attached to the bell housing behind the engine are the starter motor, alternator, power steering pump, and compressor for the air-conditioning unit.

DTM-Inspired Suspension

Power is nothing without control, as the cliché goes, but it’s true, and to that extent, DTM-derived double-wishbone suspension is used front and rear with dampers from German suspension masters KW. The stock setup requires manual adjustment of those KW units, but the Affalterbach Package gives you electronic control of them from within the cabin. To cater to extreme track use, there’s also a wide range of camber adjustment settings for buyers of the HWA Evo.

Part of the bespoke package from HWA is a dedicated HWA-developed ESP system, specifically developed to work with the six-piston, 380mm front brakes and four-piston, 360mm rear brakes. These are housed within staggered 19- and 20-inch wheels (front and rear, respectively) and can be upgraded to carbon ceramic discs for even more fade-free stopping power.

To make sure the chassis doesn’t flex and undo all the good work of the suspension, the restored bodies of the HWA Evo are extensively reinforced. The midsection is structurally enhanced, while the front and rear sub-assemblies are all-new. The result is a vehicle so strong that HWA will be crash-testing it to prove its robustness.

Guided By The Original At Every Step Of The Way

With HWA’s deep involvement with Mercedes, both historically and to this day, it knew a restomod of this nature had to stay true to the original. That was part of the reason electrification doesn’t feature in the powertrain. “Given our expertise in zero-emission drivetrains, electric propulsion could have been a possible route,” says HWA CTO Gordian von Schöning. “However, from the first customer consultations on the project, it was very apparent that owners wanted an internal combustion engine – something that would deliver real driving emotion.”

But visually, HWA also wanted to be steered by the icon the HWA Evo is based on, using three original Evo IIs on-site at HWA for restoration purposes as a “constant visual reference point” for the design of the restomod. While the original Evo homologation cars sported fiberglass bolt-on widebody kits to house the big (for the era) wheels measuring 17 inches, the HWA Evo uses something even lighter for its bodywork: carbon fiber. As HWA puts it, its body kit has “DTM-inspired arches which are artfully incorporated into the front and rear wings as single-piece carbon components. These cloak 19-inch front and 20-inch rear six-spoke forged wheels, which pay a fitting aesthetic tribute to the wheels on the EVO II.”

The use of carbon fiber is important, as it helps achieve a curb weight of 2,980 lbs, and to protect that precious carbon on the low front end, the HWA Evo has a nose-lift function with 1.2 inches of extra clearance. But the big carbon fiber rear wing at the rear will be what attracts the most attention, especially with its extendable rear flap for maximum aerodynamic efficiency.

Digitalizing The Interior

The interior, like the exterior, is retro, but modernized, and like the headlights, which are now LED items, there’s digitalization of the cabin. Specifically, the instrument cluster is digital, largely for the sake of occupant safety, but replicates the period-correct design of LED displays of the early 1990s. There’s even a digital recreation of the original EVO II’s gauges, and smartphone integration is a given to make full use of modern sound and navigation systems. Recaro seats in both rows are geared for a blend of comfort and support when you’re at your local racetrack.

However, this is designed to be a daily-usable car, and one can tailor their choices to reflect that should they so desire. Buyers can choose from an extensive range of colors and materials, and there’s even a bespoke luggage set to match your car available on the options list. The customization options are extensive, as embodied by the exterior paint options; unlike the original Evo II, which had a single inky finish called metallic Blauschwarz (aside from the final two cars finished in silver), you can have any color you choose.

No One Better For This Restomod Than HWA

HWA’s team comprises 280 employees who can do everything in-house from engineering and design to the manufacturing of the carbon fiber and the paintwork. But beyond just being capable, HWA has the heritage to justify building a Mercedes restomod of this caliber. Not only was Hans Werner Aufrecht involved in developing the original EVO II, but HWA still employs team members responsible for assembling the original.

“At HWA, we have wanted to create a modern version of the EVO II for some time, and it is not a task we undertake lightly considering the car’s legendary status with enthusiasts and its history in the DTM,” says HWA CTO, Gordian von Schöning. “Our philosophy with the HWA EVO is to build an extremely dynamic but fully usable road car that can withstand the rigors of extreme track driving while retaining the spirit of the original car.”

“But it’s not just about having the best engineering resources to build this car. We have the heritage and the experience with Mercedes-Benz in DTM, and that’s why we believe we are best placed to tell the next chapter of the story with the HWA EVO.”