Smashed $800K Mercedes 190E Is the Most Expensive Crash Test You’ll See Today

Restomods come and go so quickly these days that it’s easy to miss them. But the HWA EVO, the German tuner’s modernized version of Mercedes’ venerated 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II, is different. Yes, it costs $800,000, but at least HWA is actually racing the dang thing. And, as part of certifying the car for sale and competition, the company had to crash test one, too. So, prepare for the rare, gut-wrenching sight of a legendary homologation special being purposefully destroyed in a controlled setting.

Every EVO starts with a donor 190E that is comprehensively stripped and rebuilt with steel and aluminum structures. HWA fits a new driveshaft with a six-speed transaxle, as well as KW adjustable dampers with Brembo brakes on all corners. Rather than the original Cosworth unit, the engine is one of Merc’s M276 V6s, displacing three liters and making 444 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque.

That’s quite a nice sport sedan to beat up, but fortunately, HWA takes this stuff seriously. The company shouted out Prototype 07 in an Instagram post, which served as its guinea pig for crashworthiness. In keeping with the EVO’s roots as a family sedan, HWA wasn’t concerned only about the driver’s well-being.

The test procedures involved “detailed evaluations of seats and head restraints through static tests for both front and rear positions, as well as dynamic sled tests,” HWA wrote. “Child restraint anchorages and protective steering systems were also thoroughly examined. Additional procedures, such as seatbelt load tests, rear-seat pressure assessments, and full-body acceleration measurements, were conducted to ensure optimal safety under all conditions.”

That’s good to know for future HWA EVO owners who are also parents, and need to shove car seats in the back. But HWA didn’t stop there, leading us to the main event, which you can watch on the fifth slide in the embed above: A frontal collision with a barrier at 30 mph. The goal of this particular test was to evaluate steering column displacement, and it appears the mule passed with flying colors.

Sure, we get some crumpled composite body panels and a load of bits flying out of the engine bay, but the EVO shakes off the impact as designed, with no structural deformation reaching the passenger cell. HWA says that the test confirmed its simulations precisely, and that Prototype 07 ultimately satisfied all safety requirements for production.

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